A Homeschool Update

Hey there!  I'm just doing a small update of our homeschooling.  I already did a post on how we switched curricula and that we are LOVING the new curriculum HERE. 

Kayson is my 5-year-old, and he is in kindergarten.  He is absolutly IN LOVE with school!  He even wants to do it on Saturday and Sunday!  The most exciting thing happening for him is that he can read!  He is so excited, and sounds out big words in other books just so he can practice reading.  I am so proud of him and his love of learning!

Fionna is 7 and is doing 1st grade with her 6-year-old brother, Tiernan.  They both are liking Christian Liberty Press and their favorite subject is History.  They learn Bible stories from the first happenings in History, and color pages.  Fionna is great in Math, although she likes to rush through things.  Tiernan is great in Phonics, and can get pretty much every page and every pronunciation correct! 

Mama is loving homeschool!  I have a pretty solid routine now where I switch back and forth between Kindergarten subjects and 1st Grade subjects.  It works well, and things go pretty smoothly every day. 

I look forward to the day when I will have at least 10 years under my belt. 

Homeschool Update: Christian Liberty Press

I posted about having switch up our homeschool curriculum in a previous post.  BJU Press just wasn't working for our family.  We switched to Christian Liberty Press...and we all LOVE it!!!

This was THE BEST decision we have made!  The kids are loving it, and Fionna, who pretty much hates school, told me last Friday that she loved school.  WOW!

Let me share WHY we love it so much...

1.  It is super simple.

There are no manipulatives.  I use the Unifix Cubes for math if I think the kids could benefit from visuals.  There is no set schedule or teacher's manual for the entire curriculum.  There are individual subject manuals, but again, they are super simple, and you can do more or add on to them whenever you please.

2.  The history and science subjects are simple and easy to listen to for kids.

 It's a page or two of reading and then some coloring.  A great introduction to history and science for small children.  The coloring pages keep them involved and coloring what we have discussed in the class helps cement the subject into their minds.

3.  It fits perfectly into our family lifestyle.

My husband works rotating shifts, and we also have several church activities throughout the week.  This curriculum allows us so much flexibility!  The reviews at the start are great, and we can do several of them in a day...not just what the "manual" says (because there is no set schedule).  My kids can do more of their book work on their own, which allows me to be able to load the dishwasher, switch laundry loads, or deal with naughty toddlers or teething babies.

So, I would totally recommend Christian Liberty Press to any homeschoolers looking for a simple, flexible, easy-to-add-onto curriculum.  I am SO glad we switched!  

Starting Over with our Homeschool

We started out our second year of homeschool using Bob Jones University Press (BJU Press) curriculum.  I loved it.  I was excited and wooed by the bright colors and manipulatives.  Well, not 6 weeks into it, we are getting rid of it and starting over with something new.

Here is why:

1.  BJU Press is extremely time consuming.

I know, homeschooling itself is extremely time consuming.  But having a curriculum that is easy to manage and not extra-time consuming is important...especially as a busy mom of 6.  BJUP takes a lot of time to set up.  I first realized this when I had my mom and mother-in-law over to help prep and there were WAY more manipulatives than I had originally thought.  Every night,and sometimes the morning of, I would spend at least an hour, maybe more, getting things ready for the next day.  Math and Phonics had the most manipulatives, and every day added more and more onto what we already needed.  There were HUNDREDS of small, vocabulary cards;  sight word cards, family cards, word cards, and parts of a word cards to be prepared...and sometimes story characteres needing to be copied, cut out, colored, and glued to a stick.  And that is just one subject!!  It was just all too much for me.  

2.  BJUP is geared more towards an actual schoolroom.

The curriculum is made to be used in a classroom setting.  It assumes you have bulletin boards or space to store everything you need.  It has homework-type assignments.  It has activities or games that you need more than 2 students to do.  I was constantly having to come up with ways to adapt lessons for just my 2 first graders.  Again...wasting time.

3. They are a Baptist doctrine-based curriculum.

We are a Reformed Presbyterian family, so when doctrinal discussions came up (specifically salvation)  I was having to correct the text and the kids' work texts to fit into our doctrinal beliefs.  Not necessarily bad, but annoying to have to do.

Something Good about BJUP...

I loved their Math!

Their Math 1 curriculum is amazing.  Despite all of the manipulatives, the math program is great.  I especially love their use of Unifix Cubes.  When I started using them to help F and T review addition and more-or-less concepts...they picked up on it almost instantly.  They (the cubes) were a great visual to help them understand more and less...greater and lesser. I love that! 

  

So, what are we going to do?

Well, we decided to use Christian Liberty Press.  They are a Reformed doctrine-based curriculum, which is great for Bible class.  Their schedule is much more conducive to our needing-to-be-flexible family life.  Their work texts are simple and easy to follow.  Our books are being shipped to us soon, and I cannot wait to start!  

As my mother-in-law pointed out to me,  it is better to start all over with a new curriculum, than to struggle and force your way through one that doesn't fit.  

When Your Plans Fall to Pieces

Well, I encountered a major set back in my grand homeschooling plans. 

I planned on starting our 2016 school year this coming Monday. 

God's plan is that I wait a week. 

We switched from Memoria Press to BJU Press for first grade this year.  I eagerly looked over the books as soon as I got them.  As September drew near, I again perused the books, and thought I had a good grasp as to what I would need.  Boy...was I EVER WRONG! 

I overlooked practically EVERYTHING.  I mean, my Mom and Mother-in-law came over this morning to help me cut out all of the manipulatives, and we discovered that I am nowhere NEAR ready for school to begin.  *sigh*  *major tears* 

I need Unifix cubes for Math.  I need word cards for Reading.  There are HUNDREDS of word cards that need to be cut and laminated.  There are lots of Math Manipulatives that need to be cut and laminated.  I am started a new curriculum...I need to figure out just HOW I am going to teach this new curriculum. 

I, of course, immediately felt overwhelmed and cried.  Mostly out of embarrassment, as my Mother and Mother-in-law are veteran homeschoolers and I had just been exposed as totally unprepared to teach their grandchildren.  I also felt like, once again, I had failed in the very thing I should be so good at. It's my job to teach my children...and how can I possibly do that if I am so ill-prepared?  I thought I had prepared, and I was woefully underestimating my prowess as a homeschooler.  And really--what was I thinking?  This is only my second year.  I am by no means a veteran. 

My pride was wounded, my excitement halted, and I was feeling so ill-equipped to teach my children.  I looked at my kitchen table strewn with books, paper, binders, and scissors and felt like I was going to drown. 

Thank God for my mothers.  My mother-in-law dried my tears, and told me everything was going to be OK.  My mother assured me that I do not fail at everything, and that this was just a small set back.  My husband then reminded me that this is homeschool...there is no deadline, no absolute day/time I needed to start our schooling. 

And that is what I want to share with you all. 

HOMESCHOOLING IS FLEXIBLE.

 It works around you, you don't have to work around it.  You need to start later, no problem.  Your whole family gets sick, take a few days off.  You have a new baby, take time to relax, recooperate, and enjoy your new joy for a few weeks to get back to your routine.  School will always be there, ready to be taught and learned.