My mind has been immersed

in homeschooling reviews, curriculum, unit studies, advice, pros, and cons! Because....we have decided we will go this route beginning with Ella this coming fall as she starts first grade. Now, this had been a decision we were making even before she started Kindy. Obviously, we said "no" to homeschooling back then. The decision has been made clear..thank you, God! That's a HUGE thank you to You, too! :)

I am trying to find out the "best" homeschool study for her, for me, for us. It is TOUGH. I never knew this decision would be so tough! There are so many things to consider...length of day, what is your "core" study, how much prep do you as a teacher want to have, what types of learning styles, etc etc etc. Mind boggling, really!

Just when I think I reached a verdict, I change my mind due to a new discovery or thought. I think I have it narrowed down to a few, and in particular one curriculum that reflects my own love of learning- Tapestry of Grace. With this, you still have to have your phonics, handwriting, and math, but it has a huge amount of wealth, more than you can accomplish, honestly, with a single child in a single year. It does take some effort for the teacher, more than others, but honestly, with my uber fast reading skills (my underestimated talent! LOL!) and my LOVE for things like this, it would be an absolute BLESSING to me. I WELCOME the thought of directing some time of my day or week to my OWN learning FOR my children. For others, that thought is too demanding. For me, oh no....I have felt mentally limited since I have had children, and I was talking to my dearest hubby about this the other day, and yes, I ended up being very tearful about it. I think this is, if I can be completely open and vulnerable, a way that God will bring me back to feeling confident in my mental abilities and education that I have had. I thought briefly that it would be a selfish desire, but then I concluded this: God is able to work BEYOND what we can imagine. And I think, and trust, and will have faith, that this will be an example of His complete awesomeness!

The other possibility lies in the 6-8 year old program from Hearts of Dakota. They have an emphasis on early American history and literature that looks absolute divine for a first grader! I love the selected books with this curriculum. I also have found some positive things with one called Five In A Row. I have thought, though, that perhaps a summer go with FIAR would be best for us. Just to keep us reading. You just need one of the volume manuals, and then you can get your books from the library. AND, you can pick and choose what you want to do!

I have to decide on some kind of science supplement...there are several I am trying to decide on that I like.

Also, I do have the math one figured out. It is between Handwriting With Tears, Italic, and A Reason for Writing for the penmanship studies.

An extra art book I wish to get, someday, is Artistic Pursuits. I plan on using library books for some music appreciation and for some more Health studies.

One thing I have been contemplating as supplementation of things, or even a study "break" of regular studies, are Unit Studies. I have found some free ideas on the Internet, including an apple unit study that would be fabulous to incorporate new words, stories, and even a fieldtrip to a local fruit farm!

Whew! The amount of information I have taken in the past couple weeks is A LOT, to say the least! I took a "day" break, but honestly, this stuff 'fires me up" so much I can't seem to get rid of my eagerness to read about homeschooling! This will be our first year of homeschooling, so I have to remind myself that we have...time. We really do, to experiment, to experience, to elaborate. Hmm...I like that....

Experiment.

Experience.

Elaborate.

I forgot to mention several reasons WHY we are deciding to homeschool- I HATED how I felt in the beginning of the school year. Like I just pushed her aside when I took her to school. No, that may not be a good reason for others for deciding to homeschool, but it is something that I am taking in consideration. Also, I want to be more involved with her education, and don't think making her be consume with school her entire day minus and hour or two is the way to do it. That means- I teach her at home on our time, and we have the rest of the day and night to either catch up with school, some homework or study, but mainly the choice of freedom. And that freedom enters into how we juggle field trips, etc., and Rich's day off. It is more of a desire for a family growing closer in this certain way. For US. Also, we are going to have Philip attend the same preschool that Ella did..I LOVED her teacher. I think it will be good for him to have that structure for a year. Plus, it will give Ella and I (and Will David) to adjust to a certain schedule as needed.

With regards to Philip, I am going to try to find something that can incorporate his learning into Ella's studies...maybe through science or read-alouds. Or an art project. I am excited about that- it will be more fun for the both of them that way!

Also, oh please no one suggest there is no socializing with homeschooling. That is simply NOT TRUE. And I will NEVER feel I have to defend my position on that. I will briefly, though, for the sake of anyone reading this: church, T Ball, Girl Scouts, soccer, field trips, and finally, homeschool groups. Those are things that Ella is (or will be) involved in that involves people!

Anyways...I hope you enjoyed the pics up top! I am so glad we've had a lot more light around Northeast Ohio! It helps this natural light photographer!