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Tuesday, September 14, 2010

A is for Apple with a worm in it!!

Well, so far, so good.


I survived the first 2 weeks of homeschooling......


and guess what,


GASP......i still don't have a curriculum!!


DON'T TELL ANYONE, K??


Here I am again having to swallow all the words I use to say about:

1.) "those Mom's that homeschool."

and
2.) "those Mom's that homeschool WITHOUT curriculum!!"


I'm don't think I'm an "unschooler", (at least that's not my intention) because I am actually still searching around for a curriculum that matches us, (suggestions taken in the comment section if you'd like)!! And I think I'd like one because as one friend pointed out, coming up with your own stuff week after week can be mentally exhausting, (so far it hasn't been, but we're only one the 3rd letter of the alphabet)!! Also, I don't want to *miss* anything that Tyler *should* be learning at this time.
BUT, (hold on for the ride)
what if I don't. What if I just keep doing what I'm doing and go all the way to the letter Z and then start something else?!?!??! What will you think of me and WHY DO I CARE?? Will he end up dumb because I didn't use a curriculum? What if he doesn't learn to read until he's in 1st grade? How's he going to "turn out?" How ridiculous are these questions? This journey has been soooo good for me!! Just showing me again how I'd like to think I do things for ME, for US and not for OTHERS! And yet how are my decisions TRULY MADE? Are they based off of what OTHER MAYS SAY behind my back and THINK OF ME and our family?
We've all sort of melted into a rhythm that's working nicely for us right now,
three mornings a week at our school table. Sometimes Luke joins us, sometimes it's just Tyler and I. We started something pretty neat each week. Tyler picks someone he knows that has a name which begins with our weekly letter and we make/send that person a card. He does all the writing and I tell him how to spell the words. He puts the stamp on and writes the address, puts it in the mailbox and lifts the flag.

A is for Aiden.

B is for Bennett.

Today we had reading hour with our homeschool co-op. About 25-30 children. It was great and they all did so well. I was pleasantly surprised with how "uneventful" it was. They listened attentively to a classic reading of "Beauty and the Beast." (which coincidentally goes nicely as we are at the end of "letter B" week.) Next Tuesday we'll finish the final chapter and then on Friday we're going to see "Beauty and the Beast" at the Fulton Opera House. So excited for that. The last time we went Tyler and I had a wonderful time together.


On the way home we stopped at the Strasburg Railroad because Thomas is in town.
We ate lunch, got a Thomas tattoo and looked at all the toys I'll never buy them!!

Yesterday we ate lunch along a farmers lane that runs beside the railroad.
Thomas came by and "peeped" at them and the boys raced him, running along the dirt lane......


Tomorrow we're going on our first field trip with our homeschool group.
There's about 40 of us. We're going to Highland Orchards to pick apples, go on a hayride, build a scarecrow and get diarrhea from drinking too much apple cider!!!

Do you know how excited I am to start letter "C" week??

Because, you see, one of my favorite things starts with that great letter???


Why CHOCOLATE of course!!!! And it just so happens that there is a place not too far from here where they make TONS OF CHOCOLATE EACH DAY!! Hershey Chocolate World is on the list! Oh JOY!!!!!!
In other news, my Mom is awesome!
I came home today to my house spotlessly cleaned, my laundry done and jars of fresh grape jelly sitting on my counter top!! I could hardly believe my eyes! There was a note on the table, "a little fairy was here, sorry I missed you!" I want to be a Mom like that someday.
Told Tyler the other day, "ever since you were a baby I would look in your eyes and think of the ocean!" nice little pause. "Your eyes look like the inside of my nose Mom!" Mother stares blankly at her child, blinking several times and shakes head side to side and then bursts into laughter!!
For those of you that have children in school or around your kitchen table, I hope you are each coming to "terms" with the decisions you've made for your children for 2010.
I have an idea~~let's do something together this year:
STOP CARING SO MUCH ABOUT WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK!!
Sounds good to me.......
Ready.
Set.
Go.
I had this quote on my fridge for about 5 years...I should have never taken it down:
“I don’t know the key to success,
but the key to failure
is trying to please everybody.”
~ Bill Cosby~

9 comments:

Shar said...

I. LOVE. YOU. enough said.

Anonymous said...

Ditto to Shar's comment!! :)
And to Lynda C~ if you stumble upon my 'ditto' comment, behave!
Shrish

Jeane` said...

I think if the Big Cirriculum Companies got a whiff of your 'style', they would be wise to track it. If I were a little student, you would be my dream teacher. Seriously.
(& a hale & hearty AMEN to the Cosby quote!!). Looking so forward to seeing YOU tomorrow night!!!

Unknown said...

Sometimes I think homeschooling would be easier... for Taryn (not me). She came home on Friday in tears about how she isn't "cool". Since when does this start at age 8?

Terri said...

Who says you HAVE to have a formal curriculum for a Kindergarten student? If he learns his letters, gets a jumpstart on reading simple words, learns how to share w/his siblings, and has a bunch of spontaneous educational field trips then he is the luckiest kid in the world!! You can do it...yes, a little upfront time preparing, but there are alot of online resources if you need them. Nothing can duplicate your own creativity, though...trust yourself to give him all he needs this year. These years are priceless and only you can teach him certain things that you want to see the fruit of in years to come. ENJOY!!!!

Bess said...

You are a strong woman, an awesome mama...and you're eyes are beautiful. ;o)

LOVE the Cosby quote...

and hope to see you soon!

Mrs. Fisher said...

Oh I found it soooooo interestting reading your stuff tonight!! You are a BLESSED women. Chadwin turns 5 in November so he just missed this school year. I decided to work some preschool stuff at home with him while all his friends go to a preschool. But whatever... this is my choice and we as a family are all cool with that.However I secound guess myself all the time.So I find it very encouraging to hear a voice like yours out there... ok so I picked up some books at a circulam fair this summer. They are working GREAT for us. Yes, the circulam is good old "A Beka" the stuff the plain rod and staff people use.. hahaha I suppose you could check out their website(if they have one) hahaha

LOVE TO YOU!

Sarah Gingrich said...

You're doing absolutely fine. Learning to read in 1st grade is normal. Having love, security, and attention from one of the two most important people in your child's life is not normal, it's wonderful. One thing you can add that helps at this stage and is easy to do is: read him a story one day. The next have him retell it to you while looking at the pictures. Or show him a picture from a magazine and ask him to dictate a story to you about what is happening in the picture. How did they get there? Why are they doing that? What are their names? This kicks in their creative writing, even before they can write :).

Kimberly Petty said...

Hi Janelle!
My sister is homeschooling her kids, as are some of her friends. She has recommended This is My Father's Word curriculum (mfwbooks.com)to me to use with Aaron when he begins Kindergarten. The plan is to homeschool him when he is ready. I am told that the curriculum is easy to follow and is biblically based. You are doing a great thing! You are investing greatly in your children's lives. I shared many of your viewpoints of homeschoolers, before I was a married woman. While there are definately some positives to traditional education, I now feel the negatives outweigh them. So, I just want to encourage you to keep it up...keep investing your time, energy, and love in your kids...moths can not destroy that which you have done for the kingdom of God. God bless!
Kim