End of the School Year Evaluation

It's May. YAY! May is my favorite month. I love the weather in May (although right now it's a bit chilly for my liking) and I've always enjoyed the feeling of relief as the school year ends and summer begins.

We will "officially" be done with school on May 19th. By then, we'll be done with the required number of days for the year and we should be finished with several of our curricula. It'll be a good place to stop, for a while. Right now, I'm planning to take June and July off. We'll probably have a week or so of science projects and art lessons somewhere in there, and we'll do a little bit of math (Prodigy game, which Lexi loves) just to keep current, but we'll also spend a lot of time going to the pool and playing with friends. The plan is to start back up in full at the beginning of August. We start early so we can take some extended breaks during the fall and spring when the weather is nice.

I'm excited to wrap our school year up! Just for fun, I'd like to look back at where we started this school year and explain where we ended up.  I copied and pasted from my Back to School post and noted how things went. The formatting is going to be odd because of that, but it's too much work to change it now ;)

The joy of spring BREAK

This past week was Spring Break. And it was great.

As a homeschooler, I can pretty much do what I want with my schedule as long as my kids complete about the same number of school days as our local district does within a calendar year. The flexibility is really nice. Some homeschooling families choose to school year round- some schooling six weeks on, two weeks off, all year long. Others choose to follow a more traditional September-May school year. We fall somewhere in the middle.

 We had about a week of school in July last year where we focused heavily on writing skills, and will probably have a bit of school here and there over this coming summer as I see fit. I wouldn't exactly call our schedule "year round" but at the same time, I don't plan to take three solid months off over the summer. The kids got a week off in October because Tim and I went to a wedding out of town and they stayed with my parents. We actually started out Christmas break pretty late (December 23rd I think) because we were really close to finishing our reading curriculum and I wanted to get it done.

I've been keeping track of our days and I realized that if we continue at our pace, we'll be done with the required number of days the first week of May. I didn't originally plan to have Spring Break. But then I found out that Tim was going to be out of town for almost the entire week, and that our Enrichment Program would be off for the week, so I decided we needed a break too.

I'm really glad that I did! I personally needed time to not worry about school, and I know the kids enjoyed it too. We got together with family and friends, rode bikes, played outside, had a super lazy day of doing nothing, and just hung out. I also had time to schedule the 5 or 6 appointments I've had on my list for a while, which was a huge relief. I read a book and a half, tackled almost an entire season of Grey's, scrubbed the litter boxes in the sink downstairs, and went through the girls' clothes to see what they need for spring and summer. (Turns out Lydia has enough stuff to clothe four girls while Lexi had no shoes that fit and only one pair of shorts) I even cleaned the entire bathroom, including the baseboards.

Overall, it has been a productive, fun, chill week and I am glad we took a break. Breaks are refreshing. Taking a break from school allowed me to focus on other aspects of my life that really needed my attention. After not thinking about school for a week, I feel like I'll be ready to approach it again with fresh eyes and renewed energy over the weekend. And I think that will be good for all of us.

So I guess the moral of this post is: Whatever your job is, whatever you do with your time, don't forget to give yourself a break now and then to recharge. You might find it's just what you need. 

Faces of Homeschooling - Hoosier Family

Welcome to another (extremely overdue) installment of 
Faces of Homeschooling!

This week we're chatting with Vanessa Hoosier, wife of Cole, mama to Meghan (and baby girl Katie arriving this spring!) and former special education teacher who blogs about homemaking, cooking, homeschooling and urban homesteading at Hoosier Homestead. 

Today, Vanessa shares about what led her family to choose homeschooling as well as how she structures educational activities for her inquisitive toddler. Take a look!

What brought you to homeschooling?

Deciding to homeschool wasn’t so much of a decision for our family, but just kind of grew out of our vision for how we wanted to raise our family.

We knew that God has given parents the responsibility of leading their children towards him and we knew that we wanted our family to be a safe place for our children to learn and grow on their way to knowing God personally. As we considered that desire for our family, homeschooling just became the obvious choice - it would allow us to spend as much time as possible with our children loving them and guiding them through the first years of their lives.

We also believe strongly in the value of play during the little years. We want our kids to have the ability to play a lot during their early years. By homeschooling we can give them the individual attention that they need to complete their school work through constructive play and allow them plenty of time during the day to engage in their own independent, creative play.

Those are the two main reasons that our family has chosen to homeschool, but other factors have also played into the decision; such as: 

• Knowing how my husband and I did in school, there’s a good chance our kids will work far ahead of grade level (at least in some subjects) and a possibility that they may struggle in others. As homeschoolers we can differentiate their teaching as needed; we can ignore traditional “grade levels” and allow our children to work at whatever level is appropriate for them in each subject at the time. 
• We want our children to embrace learning as a lifelong activity not as something that occurs in the school setting alone. By incorporating their school into their everyday life we hope they will be encouraged to enjoy and engage in the learning process as a lifelong experience. 
• As American politics and morals are shifting, we do not want our children exposed to the coming changes in the curriculum. While we intend to teach our children about social and moral issues, the way God views them, and the way our world views them - we want to choose at what age they are ready to handle those concepts. 
• Since having our first child, we have learned that she has Sensory Processing Disorder. Having been a special education teacher in the public schools before staying home with our daughter, I understand the stress and pressure that teachers are under in public schools today. It would be impossible to expect them to meet her special needs during their already busy day. I can meet those needs individually in our home as they occur. 
• Schools waste so much time. They don’t mean to, but waiting in line for a whole class to use the bathroom, lining up to go somewhere else, waiting for all children to finish before moving on, etc. all waste time. By doing their school work at home and at their own pace our children should have more time in their day to pursue their individual interests. 
• Pursuing their own interests - if while we’re learning about a topic our child discovers a passion for part of the subject matter we want them to be able to stop and go more in depth in their learning about that topic. We don’t want them to be forced to move on because we have to “cover” more curriculum. Learning throughout the rest of life (after high school graduation) is guided by interest and we see no reason why that interest led learning can’t begin earlier in life. 

It’s not at all a short answer, but it those are the reasons and thought processes that led us to determine that homeschooling was the correct path for our family.

Tell us more about what you're doing with Meghan now and what you plan to do as she (and your family!) grows.

Meghan is 23 months old right now. Currently we have a semi-montessori method of schooling Meghan that we have been using since she was around 13 months old. There is a shelf in her playroom where I rotate activities for her to complete; most of them are completely independent after I introduce them to her but some require help from me to complete. Examples of these activities are:

• matching letter tiles to a paper on which I have written her name 
• placing animal manipulatives on dots that match the number on a card 
• wooden puzzles and simple jigsaw puzzles 
• a few sets of cards from a Memory game for her to match 
• sorting manipulatives into colored cups 
• stringing large wooden beads 
• matching toys/magnets to printed images 
• flashcards - she loves “reading” flashcards to herself or having me scatter them on the floor and then call out a letter, number, etc. (or picture when we were working on vocabulary) for her to find and bring to me 

We don’t currently have a real structure to our school days. When she is interested in working on one of these tasks, she will take it off the shelf and take it to a space on the floor or her small table to work on it. If she wants me to do the activity with her, she will generally come get me from what I am working on. As she’s currently an only child, I can almost always wrap up what I’m doing within a few minutes to complete the activities with her.

However, in April, when she’s 26 months old, a little sister will be joining us, so one of my goals for the year 2016 is to make school a bit more structured for her so that I regularly give her the intellectual challenge that she craves.

I intend for her to still have her Montessori workbox style shelves to work on independently and will be trying to include a 10-15 minutes “school” session with her at least 3 days a week. During this time we will work on tasks which require me to teach or assist her with the activities we do. I very much believe in following the lead of the child when planning educational experiences, especially with Meghan as she’s still so young, so I can’t say exactly what we will do during these times throughout the year. But some of the things I am currently planning to work on with her during this time include activities like:

• the Farmland Math curriculum from Timberdoodle which is designed for 2-3 year olds and uses farm animal math manipulatives and play to teach basic math concepts 
• laminated pre-writing stroke worksheets such as those from ABC Jesus Loves Me and Dot to Dot for Tiny Tots by Priddy books
• Handwriting Without Tears doh mats and Do-A-Dot style printables
• introducing the concept of sounding out words (she knows all of her letters and their sounds) using manipulatives such as letter magnets, Boggle Junior, Melissa and Doug’s See and Spell, the game What’s Gnu, etc.
• introducing the concept of sight words through flashcard games, using large picture cubes to roll and read sight words, the You Can Read curriculum from 1+1+1=1, etc.
• logic and conceptual games such as Day and Night, Brain Quest for 2’s, Hello Sunshine Game, opposite matching, event sequencing cards, etc.

In addition to her independent workboxes and that dedicated school time, we have art time (paint, crayons, play-doh, cutting, gluing, etc.) and outside time (free play, gardening, gross motor activities, water table, sensory table, chalk, bubbles, nature walks, etc.) many days. My goals for this year include being even better about making those two activities a more consistent & regular part of our days.

We read a lot throughout the day. Meghan loves being read to and we usually read for 30 minutes - 1.5 hours of the day. We have several large children’s books anthologies that I will choose to read from as well as a collection of rotating picture books that she will choose from for repeated readings. We also read from the Big Picture Story Bible almost every day.

Meghan is also allowed to watch a movie while she eats her breakfast every morning. Movies that we watch during this time are Leapfrog’s Letter Factory (and we will add Talking Word Factory if/when she shows interest in sounding out words), Preschool Prep Company’s DVDs (she’s mastered many of the topics they have, but we will be using the sight word dvds if/when she shows interest in learning sight words), and the Two Little Hands Production’s Rachel and the Treeschoolers DVDs. These three DVD companies are ones that are solidly educational and ones that Meghan shows great interest in.

With a new baby coming and her young age, I am incredibly flexible with when school, art time, outside time, and read alouds get completed during the day. We have a general rhythm for what we do in our morning routine, how we go about the late morning, and what we do after nap but it’s pretty flexible, which is how I think it’s just going to have to be with a new baby!!

Thank you so much for sharing your story with us, Vanessa! 

Be sure to check out Vanessa's awesome blog at Hoosier Homestead! I find her ideas inspiring :)

Faces of Homeschooling - The Hook Family

Welcome to a new edition of Faces of Homeschooling!

 This week, we're talking with Jana Hook, a mom who homeschools by day and works by night. Jana and her husband Bradley share the responsibility of homeschooling their daughter.
 

Today, Jana discusses how her family made the decision to homeschool, as well as her unique experience of balancing working outside the home while homeschooling her daughter, who is an only child.   Take a peek into life with the Hook family!

Introduce your family.

My name is Jana and my husband Bradley and  I have one daughter, Arya. She will be 5 in January. We started homeschooling last spring.


What made you decide to homeschool? 

Bradley was homeschooled and always wanted his child(ren) to be homeschooled. I attended a Christian school preschool- 8th grade. I always felt (and I think it was the Lord preparing me for homeschooling) that I would not send my children to preschool and would homeschool for AT LEAST Kindergarten. Our plan is now to Homeschool all the way through high school. Two of my cousins were homeschooled and did very well academically. That made it positive to me. My best friend was homeschooled and is also homeschooling her children.

Bradley and I both feel the traditional school -especially public school- has a lower quality than it used to. In speaking to other parents, teens and children we feel that traditional school is not adequately educating children. We believe Arya can receive a better education when we can learn her learning style and gear lessons towards that. I also like that Arya is being taught my values and that I know exactly what she is learning.


What has kept you at it?

We stick with it because it is something we feel strongly about. We recently moved. Before moving I had a whole room as a playroom/school room. And I was a stay-at-home mom. When we moved, I knew I had to go back to work, and now we do school at the kitchen counter. Bradley and I discussed it and knew we still wanted to homeschool. I am home with Arya during the day while Bradley is at school. Bradley is home with her in the evening while I am at work.

Arya working on an art project.

What does a typical day look like for you?

It really depends. I work and Bradley is in law school. I am home with Arya during the day and Bradley is home with her when I work in the evening. We usually do school in the afternoon after lunch before we go pick up Bradley from school. We do school Monday- Friday. I do writing phonics, math and Bible during the day. Bradley does the others with her in the evening. We both practice her spelling words with her.

How have you been approaching preschool? Do you use a curriculum?

We did preschool workbooks last spring. We are now doing Kindergarten workbooks for phonics, math and writing. We pick out own spelling words for her. She has learned some Greek and philosophy (Plato, Aristotle, etc) from Bradley (my husband) as her history and we do experiments we find on the internet for science. We do devotions and a kids learning Bible for Bible. We believe in a lot of unstructured/unschooling right now. Learning through play, through life. Finding words, sounds, shapes, etc in our world around us. Bradley has started to doing logic with her. And I'm teaching her our address and such.


What's your favorite part about homeschooling?

The freedom. The other day we did school on the balcony since the weather was nice. We can do school work in the morning if we have a doctors appointment in the afternoon. We can do it in the afternoon if we have women's group at church in the morning. Also, confidence and security in knowing what she is learning. We feel that the usual standard of education has gone down a lot lately so we want her to get a perhaps superior education (not to be prideful or egotistical).

Arya made homeschool completely worth it the day she turned to me and said "You sure are a good teacher."  

Taking advantage of a sunny day by working outside!

What's your daughter's favorite part of homeschooling?


Math, I think. She loves doing school. Tonight when I was putting her to bed, she said "We never did my school work!" I reminded here we take a break from school work on Saturday and Sunday.


What are the biggest challenges of homeschooling?

Sometimes, I am really tired after work. I am not a very patient person. But I remind myself, Arya is 4. She just learning. When needed, we take a break to stretch out, get our wiggles out and chill.


Has it been challenging to strike a balance between working and homeschooling?

It's been a big transition. I haven't worked since 2009. I was a stay-at-home mom until Bradley started law school this fall. I feel I'm fully time homeschooling stay-at-home-mom during the day and a working mom in the evening. But we've made it with so far because homeschooling her was a priority for us.


Are you worried about the social skills your child isn't learning by not being in a traditional classroom?

Arya has no problem with socialization. She has her Sunday school class on Sunday. We have a Homeschool play group on Thursday. We go to a women's group at our church on Wednesday (which has child care so she is with kids there). We used to be in MOPs and storytime at the library. And you don't get that much socialization in a classroom. You sit at a desk. You get the socialization at lunch and recess.


Do you see any special perks or challenges to homeschooling an only child?

It's nice that I can focus on just the single grade level. I don't have to try and find curriculum that works for more than one age/grade at a time. Also, school doesn't take very long each day when you just have one child doing her school work or needing help/instruction.

Jana and Arya

How are you planning to teach your child subjects you haven't learned?

Bradley teaches her the subjects that aren't my strong suit (Math and Science). They aren't difficult for me now- but higher level math and science will need to be done by him. But for other things, I do research online and study up all I can. I am a huge fan of the public library and they have so many resources.


Where do you find patience?

From the Lord :)


What would you like others to know about homeschooling?

It is fabulous. I truly enjoying teaching Arya. I know it will be harder as she grows older. But it is completely worth it!

Thank you, Jana, for sharing your experiences with us! 

Check out our previous Faces of Homeschooling interviews by clicking here. 

If you, dear reader, are interested in participating in this project, please drop me a line in the comments. 

Faces of Homeschooling - The Copley Family

This week's edition of Faces of Homeschooling features the Copley family, veteran homeschoolers (they've been at it for 19 years!) who manage to run two businesses while homeschooling and providing foster care for several children.

 I first met Julie when my family began our homeschooling journey a few years ago. At that time, Julie and Irl's Home Works business had a storefront near my home where books were sold and classes were offered. I spent quite a bit of time there as Lexi took dance, acting, and participated in a summer camp. Julie was a great resource for me- she answered lots of questions I had about curriculum and homeschooling in general. Julie and Irl have graduated three children from homeschooling and their experiences have given them wisdom. I'm grateful that Julie took the time to share some of her story with us.

Introduce your family.

Julie and Irl Copley
Cliff, Irl's oldest son, and Sara, his wife, and our two grandkids, Violet and Arlo.
Melissa, Irl's step-daughter
Our bio kids: Kurtis (24), Katherine (18), and Karl (15).
Our adopted kids: Christina (21), Jade (10), Raven (10), and Tyler (7).
Two long term foster kids: Shawn (10) and Braxton (11) who has CP and is blind and deaf.
Plus 2 other foster kids. From Kurtis on down, all live at home still except Christina.
My mother also lives in our home.

What brought you to homeschooling?

We have now been homeschooling for 19 years, starting with 1st grade for Kurtis.  We had been looking for alternatives for schooling Kurtis.  He was bored in Kindergarten and had a hard time with peers. I attended an Usborne book party and stayed until midnight discussing homeschooling with the consultant.  From that point on we were hooked on homeschooling.  We enjoyed the families that we met and have always felt that is was the best thing that we could do for our family. I am not against a brick and mortar school because they are also in our life with foster kids, but homeschooling our own kids has been the way to go with our adopted kids since several have special needs.  Christina did Insight Virtual school all throughout high school and now Shawn is doing Lawrence Virtual as a foster child to meet his special needs.

What do your days look like?

Since we also have two businesses and try to work in homeschooling, our days are very flexible.  Usually, I do try to get homeschooling done in the morning.  Jade and Raven are now able to work on their own and do their Horizons Math and Easy Grammar and Daily Grams first thing.  At that time I will sit down with Tyler and get him started on Singapore Math and Explode the Code while I work with Shawn on his K12 Math and phonics.  We follow up with writing projects, history using Story of the World with History Pockets and holidays.  We use Magic School Bus videos for science along with using Evan-Moor science workbook pages.  All the kids basically participate in the history and science together, although Shawn does do social studies and some science online.  Some days we are lucky to just get math and English/phonics done. 

After school is done, the kids usually read, play outside, play with Legos, or do crafts.  I do not let the kids watch TV; movies are earned.  They have lots of educational activities that they can choose from.  They also help with chores and learning how our businesses are run.  From Jade and Raven on up, the kids do their own laundry, help with dishes and cooking, break boxes down, take trash out, etc.  I hope to start Jade and Raven with customer check-out this year.

Tell us about what your older children are up to now.

I have graduated 3 kids from homeschooling.  Kurtis graduated 6 years ago and attended University of Kansas for a computer science degree.  He started his own programming business and is working on releasing his first computer game soon.  He has several partners within his business and has learned more being on his own than from his college classes.  Christina graduated two years ago and is attending Johnson County Community College for a degree in criminal justice.  She recently moved out on her own and is also working at Freddy's and AMC.  Katherine graduated last year and is also at Johnson County Community College in the Chef Apprenticeship / Pastry Chef program.  Katie has been working since she was 15 in a local bakery.  She is just starting at the Pig & Finch in Leawood as their Pastry Chef.

What do you love most about homeschooling?

The best thing about homeschooling is that I have been able to allow my kids to follow their own interests.  If my husband or I are unable to provide instruction in certain areas, then we look for classes or opportunities for the kids to pursue these interests.  Kurtis had opportunities in music for his flute and piccolo.  He was in various symphonies, band camps, and private instruction. He also loved Boy Scouts and became an Eagle Scout at 13. Christina enjoyed volleyball and swimming.  Katherine has always been drawn to cooking classes.  Karl enjoyed fencing. All of them have taken foreign language classes or various history and science classes outside of our home.  Their "socialization" is met through these activities and various activities offered through our homeschool group.  Our kids are more socialized with adults and kids of all ages versus the peer-only idea of socialization. 

What do your kids love most about homeschooling?

My kids have enjoyed homeschooling because of the self-paced learning.  Kurtis said this was his favorite part of being homeschooled.  All are able to compare homeschooling to brick and mortar school except Katherine and Karl.  Katherine was truly the most "unschooled" child in our family and is now excelling in the honors program in college.  Karl will start Johnson County Community College next fall.  Kurtis has stepped in and taken charge of his schooling for me this year.  He is helping him with Chemistry and Physics, Algebra, and Writing.  Karl is taking a Literature and History class outside our home this year.  I have been unable to keep up with the younger set while homeschooling the older.  It has been wonderful to have the older kids step in and help the younger.  Any given day in our home you will find Katherine teaching the younger girls to cook and Karl helping them with math.  These truly are my favorite moments with homeschooling.  Having all the kids to come together to help run Home Works at conferences is also another favorite moment of mine.  They all are great with each other and I truly cherish the fact that we are a close knit family even with all the ups and downs of having foster kids in and out of our lives.

Tell us about your businesses.

We started our plumbing business, Copley Plumbing, LLC, in 1994.  In 2006, we bought Home Works because we loved homeschooling so much.  It has grown from two spaces at the MPE Conference to six spaces of new and used curriculum.  We also try to attend 2-3 other conferences in other states.  We tried running a retail shop for a year but it just wasn't what the homeschooling community needed at that time.  I now concentrate on selling online and attending conferences.  It is too hard to sell out of my home to the direct homeschool community due to city regulations and having a large amount of special needs foster kids.  My days tend to also consist of lots of social worker, therapy, and family visits for them.  It can be very hard to balance the needs of my family and the needs of a business.  It does help to have my mother here to help with kids or take books to mail out.  And, luckily, we have a nurse to come in and help with Braxton. 

(Visit the Home Works website here)

How do you stay sane?

The older kids and my mother help by watching the younger kids so that Irl and I can get away for the occasional dinner.  Irl is great in knowing that I need my time, too, and so I get away for a Mom's Night Out with friends.  In turn, Irl gets out and plays table tennis every Sunday.  We do have a gym membership but, unfortunately, only the older kids seem to use it right now.  Right now, Irl and I just keep going and do what we have to do to keep things going in the family.  They are the most important thing in our lives.

What advice do you have for families who are just getting started?

Homeschooling has been the cement in our family's life.  The most important thing to remember as a homeschooling parent is to be patient.  Enjoy the time with your kids.  Let the kids enjoy learning.  Don't worry about covering everything.  Teach the kids to learn on their own because that is what life is about; we are always learning something new all the time.  Let the kids figure out what they want to be, not what you want them to be.  Homeschooling is such an awesome opportunity to give our kids.  I believe that all parents are able to homeschool if they are honest about their limitations, but they also have to realize that it is putting the kids first in their lives.  There are days that I want to be out in the world with adults but realize that these kids are my responsibility.  That is also the time that I know I need to take a break and that's okay, too.  Have patience, it will all work out!

Thank you, Julie, for sharing your wisdom and encouragement!

Faces of Homeschooling - The Lackey Family

Welcome to another edition of Faces of Homeschooling! 

This week, we're chatting with Gretchen Lackey. Gretchen and her husband Brad have two children whom they homeschool, Evan (6 and a half) and Lauren (3 and a half). Their family will also welcome Baby Lackey in January. 

While balancing homeschooling and her family's needs, Gretchen also runs a daycare in their home. How does she do it? Take a peek into their lives to find out!

What brought you to homeschooling?

So many, many things! First off, I was an elementary teacher for nine years. I taught 2nd-5th grades. I absolutely loved my job and was very passionate about it, but there were many glaring faults of such a large system ran by the government. Additionally, once I had my son, my priorities changed and I didn't feel as connected to my profession as I once had. I always felt torn between being the mom I wanted to be and being the teacher I wanted to be. So, I ended up quitting teaching to open my own daycare, which naturally, led me to teaching within the daycare, and eventually, homeschooling.

The kids on their first day of school. 

What has kept you at it? 

Some days, I don't know! But, mostly, I have channeled my love of teaching and learning into my own family which is extremely rewarding. In some way, I have guided a majority of their learning and been there to see all of their "a-ha" moments. I am blessed that my children love to learn, read, and absorb knowledge. They really are eager students, which definitely helps in those tough moments.

Walk us through a typical day in your school.

We are probably different from some homeschool families because we run an in-home daycare alongside homeschooling. So, our mornings are spent welcoming the kiddos to our home, eating breakfast together, free play, then about an hour to an hour and a half of preschool activities right before lunch. Usually these activities include an engagement activity around a central theme that we have been exploring. Then, we'll read a related story, participate in a kinesthetic activity or experiment, do a craft or follow-up activity. Most of this time has been focused around letter recognition, days of the week, number sense, or other preschool standards. All daycare kiddos, as well as my own daughter, starting at about age two typically participate during this time. My son is either my "co-teacher" or he does his own thing at this time. Usually, he is right alongside helping out our littles. I love to see him teaching the little ones; he is so gentle and patient with them.

Evan's school work is mostly done in the afternoon. After lunch, we have about an hour of quiet time for the bigger kids or nap time for the littles. Then, Evan gets started on school. He is doing Easy Peasy All-in-One Homeschool this year and really enjoys it. It is mostly done online, but there are a lot of experiments and engaging hands-on activities as well. Typically his school work takes about 1-2 hours depending on the day. If needed, he'll take a couple ten minute breaks throughout that time. I am usually with or near him guiding him or helping if need be. He is currently capable of doing about half of his work independently, but we enjoy doing it together as well- I learn so much from teaching him!

After he is done with his work for the day, Evan & I co-teach two of the older girls, Lauren, and a 4-year-old daycare kiddo, the preschool curriculum on Easy Peasy, which is mostly literacy based right now. So, I'll supplement with some math games or other learning activities as needed. This preschool time is usually about 45 minutes or so.

Working hard and having fun!

Do you have a Secret Weapon or Hidden Gem that you'd like to share?

I don't know that it's a secret weapon, but I struggle with anxiety and have just learned that sometimes I have to relax. Rome wasn't built in a day, right?! The same goes for homeschooling, not everything will come together at once and some days, nothing does! But, I just remind myself to keep things in perspective and to not be so hard on myself if things don't work out the way I had hoped or imagined. Tomorrow is always another day to make it right.

Lauren practicing her letters in shaving cream.

Favorite moments?

I have so many! Reading with my kiddos every day is huge for us. I also love that at any point during the day I can pull my kiddos close and just cuddle them and let them know that I love them. And, I absolutely treasured teaching my son to read from infancy to now. It's been an amazing, constantly progressing and evolving process, but so incredible to get an up-front seat for!

A pajama day read-a-thon.

Biggest challenges?

The one thing that we struggle with each day is writing. Evan will fight me on him having to write the smallest of sentences just because he doesn't like to do it. So, we are working on that. Also, some days, motivation to "do school" dwindles now that I am so pregnant & exhausted! But, I typically work through that! ;)

How do you pick curriculum?

Last year, which was the first year that I was consciously homeschooling, was Evan's kindergarten year. I created all of the curriculum for him based on month-long thematic units of particular areas of interest to him or things I thought he'd enjoy. So, all of the subjects- math, science, history, literacy- were worked into one particular theme each month. I got most of my resources from various blogs, experience, teaching manuals, and, of course, pinterest. I did the same with preschool plans last year as well, while using the same themes, concentrating on different indicators for the little ones.

This year, I knew that I wouldn't be able to be so hands-on in the curriculum creation department since I am expecting and due in the middle of our school year. So, I wanted to choose a curriculum that was all there for me, which ended up being Easy Peasy All-in-One Homeschool. At first, I was hesitant to use an online curriculum of sorts because I didn't want the kiddos on the computer all the time. I wanted their learning to be more engaging and active. But, after looking through Easy Peasy, researching it, and learning from other families who used it, I thought that a lot of it was quite hands-on, motivating, and interactive. So, we gave it a chance. And, it has been wonderful! The children love it and are learning so much. Plus, when the baby comes, we will hopefully be able to stay reasonably on track with our school work.

Evan showing off his model of The Great Sphinx .

When do you lesson plan?

With Easy Peasy, there isn't much lesson planning that I do. Typically, on Sunday night, I take some time to look over what I anticipate Evan doing the following week and print anything that is applicable. Also, I determine if I want to make any substitutions or additions to what is planned in EP. For the preK activities, I have to devote a little more time (probably about 2 hours a week) drawing on various resources I've found and putting together what looks like a good plan for the kiddos. I do this on Sunday evening as well.

How do you homeschool while nursing/with an infant?

Since I run a daycare, I am faced with this challenge daily. Our major chunks of homeschooling times occur throughout the day when the younger kids are sleeping. For our morning preschool time, the youngest child here (18 months) is napping. Then, in the afternoon, when a bulk of our work gets done, the toddler aged kids are napping. However, I have a feeling that once January comes and I will be nursing a newborn, all of this will be up in the air!

Lauren proudly showing off some flowers she planted.

Where do you find the patience?

Some days are easier than others, but I have been blessed with a natural patience for children. And, I pray! I pray a lot!! ;)


What do you say to people who say, "I could never do that--I don't know enough about all the subjects kids need to learn!"

Evan with his tomato plant.

So far, I just kind of laugh it off and reassure them that I too, don't know everything. But, there are so many helpful resources and guides to ensure that I am not messing it up too badly!





How do you respond to,"Are you worried about the social skills your kids aren't learning by not being in a traditional classroom?"

Oh, this question! Usually, I just respond with a generic, "No, I'm not." Typically, people don't really go much further with that line of questioning. But, I have many, many thoughts that I would share if pressed. Kids don't need to be in homogeneous peer groups for a majority of their educational experiences- most adults aren't! My children are learning how to socially interact with children their own age, younger, and older than themselves. Also, school settings really aren't the best atmosphere to develop social skills. A lot of what happens in school is too structured (learning conversations) or not structured at all (recess situations). Children learn conformity in schools and rarely learn the value of uniqueness or being able to get along with all ages. Additionally, my children are learning how to get along with people of many walks of life, not those who are ultimately very similar to themselves.


How do you find balance?

This is tough. I am a perfectionist by design and it is hard for me to balance work, homeschool, being a good wife and mother. But, the bottom line is prioritizing and trying my hardest to do as well as I can at any given time in any of those arenas. Sometimes, one area demands more of my time and I have to step back and decide what I can take off of my plate for awhile. Then, the scales will shift to another area demanding more of me. It's a constant evaluation of myself and my surroundings. And I can't forget that I need time to spent solo and some time with friends, too.

The kids unwrap brand new school supplies they received during a First Day of School Scavenger Hunt. 

How do you teach your child something you don't really understand?

In these cases, we do research together. I am not ashamed to be a constant learner. In fact, my children eat it up! They love teaching me or discovering alongside me. We are all in this together.


How do you go about your schedule when you teach different grades?

It goes back to balance and prioritizing. Also, determining if there is any aspect of the different levels that can be taught using the same concept or theme, but going deeper with those in the higher grades.

Hard at work in their school space!

Do you plan to homeschool through graduation?

This question is very up-in-the-air. Right now, we are taking it year-by-year and continuing because it works best for now. I am absolutely falling more in love with homeschooling the more experience I gain, but you never know what could happen in the future.


What would you like others to know about homeschooling?

There are a lot of things I wish people understood about us as homeschoolers:

1. We aren't weirdos or religious fanatics or eccentrics, we are just doing what we feel is best for our family at this time. 
2. We love our children with all of our hearts and want to extend that love to their education and just to be with them as much as we possibly can! 
3. My children are social, smart, creative beings- have a conversation with them and you will discover that beyond a doubt. 
4. Homeschooling and public education are not foes. One is not better or worse than the other. Both are choices that families can make. 
5. I absolutely love homeschooling and feel incredibly blessed that I have been led down this path.

The whole family celebrating the Royals' victory together. 

Thank you Gretchen for sharing your wisdom and for giving us a peek into your world!

If you'd like to be a part of the Faces of Homeschooling project, just leave a message with your contact information in the comments.

Faces of Homeschooling - The Hoagland Family

Welcome to another edition of Faces of Homeschooling! 

This week, you'll get a peek inside the lives of the Hoagland family. 

Mom Melanie and Dad Brian have two daughters who are 7 and 4.

What brought you to homeschooling?

I never wanted to homeschool, especially as my firstborn approached kindergarten age. We just butted heads too much. But I also didn't want to send her to public school - she was just too easily influenced, and I didn't like where that was going. So we talked private school for a while. But my husband came from a big pro-homeschool church and his sister was homeschooling all 6 of her kids. So when he asked me to consider homeschooling our kids it wasn't a surprise, but I was NOT happy about it. I agreed to pray about the decision, went to bed, and woke up the next morning super excited about the idea! I guess that's what you'd call an answer to prayer. :)

The Hoagland family's homeschooling space.

What has kept you at it?

Sheer will. Seriously. I've had days where I literally almost called to enroll her in the local public school. But then I would tell myself that I would probably regret that decision the next morning. It takes reminding myself why we are doing this... sometimes hourly. :)

Walk us through a typical day in your school.

Typical? That means a schedule.... hmmmmm. Well, we have a fairly basic layout of our day. Get up around 7:30. I read to them while they drink their morning cup of milk. Then we eat breakfast, get dressed and ready, and start school around 9:00 or 9:30. First we do Bible together, then my 2nd grader works on some things independently (cursive handwriting, spelling, and math) while I go through my 4-year old's pre-k curriculum with her. How much she and I get through depends on her mood. :) Then I do history, language arts, and science with my 2nd grader again, while the preschooler does some on-line learning games. We can usually get done around 11:00 or 11:30, but there are days it takes us until 1:00. It all depends on how motivated the girls are to finish their work. We do a lot of extracurricular things in the afternoons and evenings.

Panning for gold at Mahaffie Farmstead.

Favorite moments?

Seeing my oldest "get" reading, and watching her take off with it. Learning and watching their strengths, and not just being told by their teacher once a semester. Like discovering that my 4-year old has a serious math bent. It's so awesome!

Biggest challenges?

Ugh. The lack of motivation and perseverance (some days) of my second grader. It can take 15 minutes to get through math, but sometimes it takes 2 hours. Very frustrating.

What do you (and your kids!) like best about homeschooling?

My fave thing about HS is the flexibility we have in our schedule. Fun new park to visit on a beautiful fall day? Girls, let's do double school tomorrow! Family in town? We'll work some extra to get done early. Vacation in October? Take the books with us in the car. Also, the community and support there is in the HS world. My kids and I have made some great friends doing this. And I think they would say the same thing. I point out to them frequently that they would just be getting back from school at 3:30 in the afternoon, followed by an hour of homework. They love not having to get up early in mornings too.

Tribal necklaces and bark "cloth" that were part of a unit on Africa.

What have you learned in your time as a homeschooler?

Patience. Perseverance. Humility. Complete dependence on God.

Tell us about the curriculum you use. How did you select it?

Trial and error! We pick some things that I think they'll love, and 2 months into the year I see it's not working at all. So we switch, and we CAN! I love that. We used Logic of English to teach reading and I really loved it. Now that we finished that one, we are doing Rod & Staff for spelling, and just reading & writing poems for LA. Life of Fred for my non-math-loving 2nd grader. Reading really cool living books for Early American history. And Rod & Staff Pre-K books for my 4-year old. Those are really great! We do Notgrass Draw-to-Learn Bible with both of the girls.

A peek at the curriculum the girls use!

Do you have a "Hidden Gem" or "Secret Weapon" to share with other parents?

Let it go. If it's not working, it's ok. Just let it go. Not worth your relationship! A really great book I would recommend is "Teaching from Rest: A Homeschooler's Guide to Unshakeable Peace" by Sarah Mackenzie. Very game-changing book that all HS moms should read.

How are you going to teach your kids subjects that you haven't learned?

Oh dear, I haven't gotten that far yet. I have no idea. I will say though, that I am learning right alongside them. It's really fun! Hopefully I will approach those subjects the same way.

What about socialization? Are you worried that your kids are missing important skills by not being in a traditional classroom?

Seriously? If my kids were any more "socialized" we wouldn't have any time for school! And no. A traditional classroom is not prep for "real life". As mom, I have the opportunity to instill our family's values in my kids before we send them out into the wide world. In a classroom, they learn their peers' values. Which aren't much to speak of. We are involved in enough other activities to teach them skills like taking turns, helping out, being kind to each other.

A chromatography experiment in which the colors separate as the liquid moves up the paper.

How do you find balance between homeschooling and your other responsibilities?

I don't! Ha ha! Don't show up at my house unannounced please! :) We get school done in the mornings, so we can get the house cleaned/laundry done/dinner made in the afternoons. That's the plan at least. Some days we just have to take a day off (or have a light day) for getting things done.

How would you respond to someone who says they are not patient enough to homeschool?

Then don't. I don't think everyone must homeshool. Although if you feel like this is something you are supposed to be doing, consider it a great growth opportunity! I'm not patient either, but I am learning to be. Slowly. It's like saying that you aren't fit enough to work out. Hmmm. How is that ever going to change?

What keeps you sane?

My HS friends! I live for our weekly get-togethers! And the chance to have spontaneous down-time during the day.

Watching a blacksmith at Mahaffie Farmstead.

What would you like others to know about homeschooling?

You CAN do it. It's the best, hardest, coolest, most challenging adventure you will embark on. But having the opportunity to teach your child not only school subjects, but also values and life skills, while watching them grow and grow up is priceless. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Questions & Answers

Hey guys! I'm wiped out!

Today I subbed all day. I spent the afternoon with kindergartners. You kindergarten teachers out there deserve an award, for sure! People think I'm patient for homeschooling but you who choose to spend your days with a fleet of needy 5-year-olds, well, you're way more patient than me! Whew.

I don't have it in me to write something spectacular today, but I do have some questions and answers for you. Since I'm asking you to respond, I figure I might give you a little information about what's coming up here.

Questions:

• Will you take a minute to read my first Faces of Homeschooling post? I need some feedback! 
• Is it too long?
• Is it at all interesting or helpful?
• What should I add or remove in the future?
• What would you like to see as far as the next edition goes?
• Why would I ever think that skipping afternoon coffee would end well?
• Would you believe that Scary Mommy has rejected me twice more since the first rejection a few weeks ago?

Answers:

• Tomorrow you'll have the joy of reading a funny interview with my 4-year-old.
• Within the next week, you'll get to peek into the lives of more homeschoolers. I'm in the process of interviewing about four families right now, and I can think of four super interesting families that I will be begging to talk with me.
• Coming next week is my Christmas list. Thought it'd be good to give you plenty of shopping time ;) I'd like to hear what you're asking for this year as well.
• Writing every day is seriously cutting into my TV time. Today I finally watched last week's episode of How to Get Away with Murder. OMG. The self control it took to sit on that for a week! You should be proud of me. 

That's all I've got for now! It's almost Friday...right?!

This cat absolutely refused to leave my lap while I typed this, so I figured she deserved a mention. 

This post is part of the 30 Day Challenge. 

Faces of Homeschooling - The Franzen Family

Hello, devoted readers!

I'm excited to kick off my Faces of Homeschooling project by offering a peek into my own family's school. In case you missed it, let me tell you a little about this project. (You can find my original post here.)

I have always enjoyed learning about what people do. When I ask someone where they work, or what job they have, what I really want is to know how they spend their days. I want a walk through! I am fascinated by the day-to-day tasks that make up the jobs that keep our society running. I want to know more about what people do, so I am going to interview others and share the findings with you on my blog.

Because I am part of a large homeschooling community, I'm beginning this project by focusing on the Faces of Homeschooling. I hope to post weekly so you can peek into the lives of homeschoolers. I hope that after interviewing homeschoolers, I'll be able to interview other groups as well. I hope you find this project as fascinating as I do. If you'd like to participate, please drop me a comment below or use the "Contact Me" form in the column to the right.

So, here we go!

Faces of Homeschooling - The Franzen Family

Introduce your family.
I'm Melissa. I'm a 29-year-old stay at home mom. I teach the kids while my husband Tim works as an adjuster for an insurance company. I have two teaching degrees that have come in handy! I've stayed home since our second child was born, but I occasionally try to make money selling cupcakes or substitute teaching. Our daughters are Lexi, age 7 and Lydia, age 4. We have two cats, Luna and Arya, who like to hang around/sit on our papers while we are working. We've been homeschooling since Lexi was 4.

What brought you to homeschooling?
Our daughter Lexi attended one year of preschool nearby. She had a lot of fun with it, but seemed ready to learn how to read rather than practice colors, which was what they were doing. When Tim lost his job, we were unsure if we would be able to send her to preschool the following year. I'd just began talking with a trusted friend whose daughter attended the school we were zoned for. She was considering homeschooling because of some safety concerns. Her concern led me to start researching homeschooling. Honestly, I'd always thought it sounded crazy. I was just finishing my Master's degree in Curriculum & Instruction, so I was trained for public school. But when I saw how my daughter was ready to learn more and realized that I was more than capable of teaching her, I couldn't resist giving the homeschooling thing a try.

What has kept you at it?
I love, love, love it. I love teaching and I enjoy staying home with my kids. I'd struggled with the idea of leaving them to teach, because I felt that teaching and parenting were huge jobs that required a big commitment. I didn't want to give less than 100% to anyone. Now I get the best of both worlds. I love the flexibility. Sleeping in and making our own schedule are huge perks.

Walk us through a typical day in your school.
I usually wake up around 8am, as Tim is leaving for work. Lydia gets up around 7 or 7:30 and eats breakfast with her dad. Lexi has been sleeping in until 9 lately. We don't usually start school before 9:30 or 10am. The girls eat breakfast or a snack while I read aloud to them. They practice Awana verses and Lexi practices piano and get their morning chores done. I get Lydia set up on ABC Mouse and she works on letters and numbers while I work with Lexi on Language Arts, Spelling and Math. We'll take breaks for playing as needed. We usually come back together for Science and Social Studies, which we do on different days, and Art, which is weekly. Often while Lexi is doing some copywork, I'll sit down with Lydia and do a Spielgaben activity or just read more to her. It usually only takes a couple of hours to get all of our work completed. We are typically finished by lunch.  The kids spend the afternoons playing outside, going to activities, listening to audiobooks, having play dates, or having quiet time. They participate in karate, gymnastics, Awana, homeschool park days and piano lessons each week. Around 4pm, the kids are allowed to have screen time for a while. Lydia loves to watch Octonauts and Lexi likes to play on the computer. After dinner, everyone gets ready for bed and has quiet time in their rooms until I turn the lights off around 8:30 or 9. Lexi likes to stay up late reading and frankly, I let her! While the kids are in bed, I unwind and hang out with that guy I'm married to ;)

There's usually something cool going on at the library.

Favorite moments?
I love the peace of having slow, calm mornings without rushing. I am so not a morning person! I love to start the day by reading a great book aloud and then getting my kids set up with their work and just watching them go at it. I love those Aha! moments when their eyes light up because they've made a connection between something they see in the world and something we're learning in school. I'm grateful I get to be with them. I honestly feel it has been a privilege to teach them- especially teaching my eldest to read. So satisfying!

Challenges?
It can be challenging to balance everyone's needs. Specifically, Lydia's desire to be played with constantly. She is learning to become more and more independent as she gets older, and that is great. She is really enjoying her ABC Mouse time and that gives me the time I need to teach Lexi a few things one on one. When she is feeling needy, I've found it is best to sit down and really spent some time with her. That helps her to then play by herself a while longer.

Tell us about the curriculum you are using and how you choose curriculum.
I chose my first curriculum after visiting the annual homeschooling convention in our area. There are lots of vendors that come out each year to show off their curriculum and help answer questions about finding something that fits your children. From there, I've made choices based on asking other moms what they use, reading Cathy Duffy's 102 Top Picks book, and doing lots of internet research. There's some trial and error involved for sure. Some things have not worked out like we hoped (such as this year's Social Studies curriculum) but for the most part, we love what we are using. Here's what we are using this year.

Lexi

Language Arts - Learning Language Arts through Literature

Math - Singapore Math

Spelling - All About Spelling

Writing - Essentials in Writing

Science - Noeo Science

Social Studies - This is currently a work in progress. I didn't like what we chose last year so I'm doing some research!

Art - Artistic Pursuits

Music - Piano lessons with my mom each week

Lydia

ABC Mouse

Spielgaben

Both girls LOVE art.

Where do you find the patience?
I've developed more patience as we've gone on. I have to let some annoying things slide or else we'd never get anything done. I don't typically have a problem finding the patience to teach my children- that's probably the teacher in me. I have the same parenting struggles as any parent, I'm just with them more so I have to pick my battles. I have to give myself a break each afternoon to read, write or watch my shows. I have to get out with my friends at Park Day or at dinner.

How are you going to teach your kids subjects that you haven't learned or don't understand?
That's what Google is for, my friend. Only partially kidding. When I want to learn something new, I typically read up on it. There are so many resources out there. Books. Librarians. Community colleges offering classes. YouTube videos. My kids are already asking questions I don't know the answer to and we look things up together. My goal is to teach them how to learn rather than dumping information in their heads.

This question always makes me think of the Physics class I took in high school. Despite having a highly qualified teacher, I didn't understand it at all. I cried about Physics often. My friends helped me through. When I had to take it again in college, I had a different curriculum that made a lot more sense to me and I did fine. Luckily, Tim understands Chemistry and Physics and is going to help our girls with those when it is time. If my kids are struggling, you can bet I'll be doing whatever I can to help them figure out how to get through.

Grandma teaches Lexi piano and sewing each week.

Are you worried about the social skills your kids aren't learning by not being in a traditional classroom?
No, not really. Lexi has always made friends easily wherever she goes. Lydia struggles a bit more in group settings because she would prefer to have a couple of close friends to play with one and a time. We're working on it! All kids are differently wired. We have them involved in several activities so they get used to the idea of taking turns and getting along with others. I want them to be social beings, yes. To learn how to make friends and interact with others peacefully. To solve conflicts. I don't think they need to be in a classroom with 25 kids their age to learn these most important social skills. I model effective communication to them when I speak with others and I talk them through problems. We talk about making friends and being kind. As for stuff like waiting in line, we find Target to be a good place to practice that.

We get plenty of play time with friends :)

How do you find balance?
Well, since this is my full-time job at this point, I give a lot of my time to it. But by late afternoon and early evening, our day's work is typically done and I use that time for other things. I am trying to get better at setting and reaching goals. It's tricky. I save a lot of bigger chores, like meal planning and grocery shopping, for the weekends so that I can go alone. Tim is great about pitching in around the house too and the older the girls get, the more we will teach them.

Do you plan to homeschool through graduation?
At this point, yes. But we are going to re-evaluate each year to make sure that what we are doing is effective.

Do you have a Secret Weapon or Hidden Gem that you'd like to share?
Headphones. Lydia can listen to and play her games on the computer without interrupting Lexi and vice versa. They are also great for audiobooks and for long car trips. My other secret weapon is the audiobook. Each girl has her own CD player in her room and they are happy to listen to stories when I need a break. It has really helped develop their vocabularies as well. The library is chock full of audiobooks!

Nothing like learning in your jammies!

What would you like others to know about homeschooling?
It's not just for crazy people! I used to think that homeschoolers were all weird and extreme people who were wanting to shelter their children away from the world and brainwash them into a specific set of beliefs. Talk about judgmental! What I've learned is that we are all different. We started doing this for different reasons. But we're all dedicated to helping our kids learn and live the best lives they can.

Homeschooling is fun!

Got questions for the next edition of Faces of Homeschooling? Be sure to let me know by leaving a comment below!

This post is part of the 30 Day Challenge.