Demystifying Homeschool

So most of you probably know by now that I am homeschooling Gavin (full-time) and Garrett (part-time) this year.  Garrett attends a preschool 2 days a week, but homeschools with us on the other 3 days.  It's a nice combo for him.  I have had so many people ask how the school year is going for us thus far.  So I thought I'd do a little update. 

In case you didn't know that we were homeschooling, you can click HERE to read the post that described the decision process.  Now that we've been doing this for awhile, I can attest without a shadow of a doubt that this was the best thing for our family this year.  Has it been smooth sailing each and every day?  Nope!  But, that's life, right?  Honestly, Gavin tried to give me a run for my money there for awhile with the same tenacity that he attacked cancer.  And while it started to test my sanity, I stayed strong and the fight subsided.  And it's been so much nicer ever since.  :) 

I think this has been the best "quality of life" our family has experienced in a very long time.  Sure, we are still running here and there for preschool and lots of therapy.  But, our life is so much simpler through homeschool.  If I weren't homeschooling, I would be either yanking Gavin out of school for therapy constantly or he'd have to do it after school.  And he would be exhausted because he still fatigues faster than most kids his age.  And he'd be cranky, especially when he discovered that after therapy we'd get to go home and do more homework.  Yuck!  With homeschool, when schoolwork is done - it's done!  There's nothing more to do later that afternoon and in the evening.  So, he and Garrett get more play time.  That in itself is a glorious thing.

Garrett has benefitted greatly by having a big brother homeschool.  He wants to do just about everything Gavin does, so he has his own kindergarten books as well.  For the record, I have never pushed him to do any of it.  He enjoys it and asked me to buy him his very own books.  So, he's reading surprisingly well for his age.  And his math is definitely more ahead of the curve for his age.  I say this not to boast.  This sort of thing is fairly common among homeschooling families.  The younger ones are more exposed to academics at an earlier age and want to do it all as well.  Learning is fun for them. 

Many people have asked for details on how we homeschool.  And they're usually surprised when I detail our plan because it's not really rocket science.  I think so many people envision the homeschooling community to be making up school as we go and that's simply not the case.  I'll try to demystify it all for those of you who care to know more. 

While there are some out there that "unschool" and wouldn't purchase a formal curriculum, most of us purchase curriculum.  Either an entire set that includes each subject or different items for each subject.  And to say there are choices out there in the world of homeschooling curriculum is an understatement.  A friend and I went to the Homeschool Book Fair in Arlington last May.  It's HUGE!!!  And the stuff out there is good quality.  What I loved was researching ahead of time what each one was like to try to figure out if it would be a good fit for Gavin or not.  And then getting my hands on the books to look through them to know for sure.  Another perk to homeschooling.  You get to pick the books you use.  Books chosen based on your child's learning style.  Books that get the job done and can still be quite enjoyable.  (At least here in Texas.  Not all states enjoy the freedoms we do here in the Lone Star State!)

My next step in homeschooling was determining what our days would look like.  We're a little unusual in the fact that we are working around about 9 therapy appointments a week.  I had always heard that homeschooling was so much more efficient than traditional schooling. So true. And we're not rushing through a thing. It's just that a ratio of 1:1 or 2:1 just doesn't take as long to get done. And if we need to eat lunch or go to the bathroom, there are absolutely no lines to be formed. ;)  Another perk to homeschooling is the ease at which I can include Gavin's therapy goals right into his schoolwork.  So much more efficient than last year when I was trying to squeeze in his therapy home programs (along with kindergarten homework) after school.  Love it!

I am a planner, so I have written lesson plans for each and every day of the week.  I created a form in Microsoft Word that is front and back.  It has a column for Garrett and one for Gavin.  The subjects covered include the following:

• Memory verse (We learn a new Bible verse each week.)
• Bible (We read 2-3 Bible stories from our favorite children's Bibles each day.)
• Everyday Activities (calendar, weather, months of the year, days of the week, address, phone number, upcoming events, pledge of allegiance, pledge to the Bible, story time, puzzles, etc)
• Math (lesson details from our curriculum - Horizons, memorization activities like math facts or counting by 5's, math games or activities that would supplement learning or reviewing of topics we've been covering)
• Phonics (lesson details from our currciulum - Horizons, spelling - sounding out consonant-vowel-consonant or consonant-vowel-consonant-consonant words dictated to them, phonics games that would supplement learning current concepts, computer-based phonics games, rhyming)
• Reading (at least 30 sight words per day, at least 3 readers read aloud that are at current reading level)
• Writing (copying our weekly memory verse, specific work on the formation of letters and numbers, about to start a curriculum that focuses more on the writing process in a fun and creative way - The Write Shop, and our Horizons phonics has quite a bit of writing built into it)
• Science (pretty variable because I haven't made this a huge focus for this year -- books and videos from the library on a wide variety of topics, science experiments, field trips, etc.  I use district and national standards as a guide.)
• Social Studies (also pretty variable because Gavin didn't have trouble with this area last year in kindergarten and we're technically repeating kindergarten so that Gavin can finish what he didn't get through, although I may start a formal curriculum that is more for 1st grade pretty soon -- currently, more books and videos on a variety of topics, lapbooks from www.enchantedlearning.com)
• Etiquette (Nothing formal.  I pick areas that we need to cover and go from there.  I did buy a huge tablet to write the "rules" for each area on.  I figure it helps with reading as well.)
• Occupational therapy
• Speech Therapy
• Physical Therapy
• Vision Therapy

I use my daily lesson plan as a checklist.  And I also write each subject area out on a dry erase board so the boys can see how much we have left.  As soon as we finish an activity listed on the board, the boys take turns erasing them.  They like that a lot.

So, that's our homeschool in a nutshell.  I happen to think it's a load of fun.  And now that we're over the stage where Gavin tried to get out of doing schoolwork, I have absolutely treasured the time I get to spend with my boys.  I have always heard homeschooling moms say they thought the biggest benefit to homeschooling was the relationships they built with their children that they just didn't think would have been as strong if their kids would have been away at school all day.  And now I get it.  While Gavin and I spent just about every second together when he was receiving treatment for cancer, it was hardly the quality time I had always dreamed of having with him.  He was too sick to really enjoy much of anything.  This year seems to be making up for that.  And I feel so blessed to get to be a part of it. 

Because it's the age-old question for homeschoolers, I'll address it.  What about socialization?  Well, let me say that at least in our neck of the woods, most homeschoolers are far from unsocialized.  There is a wealth of activities for homeschoolers, field trips specifically for homeschoolers, park play days, and classes (like karate and gymnastics) that are just for homeschoolers.  Just to name a few!  Our kids are not holed up in our house 24/7.  And while maybe years ago homeschooling was seen as a way to keep kids out of the ways of the wild, wild world, it's simply not the case these days.  In our area, homeschoolers and traditionally schooled kids socialize together regularly. Homeschooling is becoming increasingly popular.  Most everyone I tell that we're homeschooling knows at least 1 or 2 families that also homeschool.  For example, in an organization I belong to here locally for homeschoolers, I think there are more than 250 families that belong.  And it's not the only organization in our county.  There are a lot of kids homeschooling.  And they're out and about a lot.  Maybe even more than traditionally schooled kids.  Because they're getting their academic work done in a more efficient manner, they have more time to socialize.  How's that for irony?

Many have asked what we'll do next year.  Garrett will officially be old enough for kindergarten.  Will I send him on to kindergarten in our school district here and homeschool Gavin again?  Will I send them both?  Or will I homeschool them both?  Honestly, it's too early to say.  Jeff and I are both pretty set on the one-year-at-a-time plan.  We consulted with God on plans for this year.  And He made it pretty clear this was the appropriate route.  We'll consult with Him again for next year and keep you posted.  :)

I'd love to hear your comments on homeschool and whether you have any suggestions for making our homeschool even better. 

Much love,