I {heart} Homeschooling!

Continuing my mini series about getting to know me and the things that make me happy... one of the greatest blessings in my life right now is homeschooling.  I get a lot of the same comments and questions.  Mostly "You must be so patient" and "Why do you homeschool?".

 

So here are a couple little tidbits into what we do and why we do it.  I've been homeschooling a very short time and know hardly anything about it.  But I have learned a lot and really am enjoying this journey.

 

First of all... I am not always so patient.  It's a habit we're all working on.  Homeschooling is not just me dumping info into my child's empty brain-box.  We are all (dad included) learning and growing and becoming better humans.  It's part of the program.  We pick a habit and work on it.  Sometimes it's patience and when that is mastered (or close enough) we pick a new one.  For my middle (only 4 years old) I've been working on not dawdling.  For the baby (2 years old) it's obedience.

 

This comes from the wisdom of Charlotte Mason and her emphasis on cultivating good habits.  

 

 

So the infamous question I dread most: Why do you homeschool?

Well, it's not because of the public school system.  It's not horrible and it's not amazing.  I really am pretty neutral on public schools.  There are pros and cons to every decision (homeschooling included) and it's up to each family to make the decision that works best for them. 

It's actually Charlotte's philosophy that hooked me.  Her focus was on effort and character.  The goal is always growth and that is something that each child can attain in their way.  Some grow faster in mathematics, some in handiworks.  It is all about taking the next step. 

Isn't that half the battle when we are down, dear friends?  Taking the next step?  Ugh, I know when I am just not feeling it on a given day and need a little umph that it feels so very good to accomplish something.  Clean the bathroom, cut some fabric, plan the dinner for that night. 

When my kiddos are breezing through a certain subject or lesson, life is good and they are feeling encouraged.  I am so happy to be there and see those light-bulb moments and share in a high-five.  Ice cream for lunch after getting everything correct on a math test!

But they also have those days of just not feeling it.  Where we slog through a reading and meet limitations head on.  Those are tough.  There have been tears.  But what a blessing it is that mama is there to comfort and encourage.  My hope is that we have built an atmosphere that fosters love and learning.  Those habits we've worked on (patience, endurance, effort) really kick in at these times and the fruit of our labor is intense. 

So in answer to the question WHY, it is all about effort and character.  God has blessed me with these three little people to grow and train up.  A typical school day consists of your normal subjects but a lot also happens in the periphery.  When the baby is getting potty trained and I just can't get there in time, the two big sisters are expected to jump in and help out.  They prepare simple snacks and even get their own breakfasts at times.

They have learned to problem solve on their own and seek an answer to their curiosities.  Sometimes that answer comes weeks later.  Charlotte advised the mama not to supply an answer to every question.  Let them ponder.  Let them explore.  So much happens when a child is able to think on their own.

One of my favorite aspects that is special to a Charlotte Mason education is her emphasis on nature study.  She suggested 4-6 hours of outdoor time every single day.  We do not get near that but it is a goal to get outside.  Period.  Once we're out we have no problem staying out.  But like running, I have to make it my goal to put on my shoes and go out.  THEN take the next step. 

Today... take the next step!  Put forth good effort!  Do your best!

Lion's Teeth

In my last post I was talking about how I just adore the colors of spring.  Here we are again, just soaking it up.  With the nutso weather we've been having this year so far, I feel like we've had four springs since it gets super warm then snows and warms up again.  Repeat.

Pattern is Coming Soon by Camille Roskelley

Here is one of my current quilts.  This is for a friend's son who just turned 3 and is in the big bed.  I have been trying to talk many of my clients into making this quilt for their sons and someone finally agreed!  :)  I only say that because I really wanted to make it for my boy and knew I probably never would if I didn't get someone else to start the process. 

I couldn't find any revisions of the quilt for a twin size.  So I dusted off the calculator and got to it.  It was pretty simple to figure out the rectangles but man those little sashings about put me over the edge.  Thankfully I think I figured it out.  Whew!
So here is Henry's quilt top.  Just needs some borders and I'll finish it up in a jiffy.  Only to start on the next one for Nino.

Speaking of my baby boy, he turned ONE!  He and Isabella have close enough birthdays that we were going to celebrate them together.  Except that they were both sick and it never happened.  Sad, sad, sad!   We finally gave him his smash cake a whopping two weeks later.  Sorry, buddy. 

Spring here means a plethora of dandelions.  We love 'em!  Yes, if we can't get the lawn mowed quick enough we do look like a drug house, but oh well.  Frances Ellen Watkins Harper wrote a lovely poem about Dandelions and this is one of my favorite verses: 

Children of the earth and sun.
We are slow to understand
All the richness of the gifts
Flowing from our Father's hand

We've been studying them for our Nature Journal time this week.  They really are fascinating plants.  I'm trying to decide if I'm brave enough to try Dandelion Fritters, Syrup, or Jam...

Because of naps and trying to remain on a schedule, we are kinda secluded sometimes and don't get out to explore as much as I'd like.  But using really great resources like The Handbook of Nature Study blog and other books like the actual HONS give me a lot of new ideas to make the ordinary extraordinary in the familiar yard before us.

Our first year of homeschooling is wrapping up and I am so thankful for the opportunity to spend this time with my oldest.  We have really learned a lot together and our relationship has grown as well.  It has been such a blessing and I really must say I am really excited for first grade to start in the fall.

Frog Tape Winner

YAY KATE! 

 The winner of the Frog Tape Giveaway is Kate!  Thanks to all who entered. 

 In other news, I dress my baby in the same shade of aqua as my walls.  (Windswept)  I think I find this more humorous than said baby. 

 Seriously cute.  I love this boy. 

My husband has some family in from Milan, Italy.  In typical Italian fashion I had less than 24 hours notice of their arrival to our house.  Nice.  I will admit it caused a teensy bit of marital stress, but thankfully I was able to pull together a good-looking table for them.  Prosciutto, golden honeydew (way better than the regular, BTW), parmesano reggiano, salami, 53 other kinds of cheese, Italian Meatloaf, and some red wine.  Bellisimo!

 The summer is winding down and honestly I am quite thrilled.  Don't get me wrong, summer is always nice but for real... I hate watering flowers every single day.  (They barely made it to July 4th this year.)  And it's been so hot that being outside has been uncomfortable.  Especially with a baby strapped to me. 

So now that it's not 300 degrees outside we've been doing everything on our trusty picnic blanket.  This particular day we did scratch art.  I always thought you had to put black paint on top of the crayon-ed paper but this lovely blog post said nope!  Put black crayon on top of the colorful crayon.  Okey dokey!
We did and it worked!  And since we were outside, the girls used twigs on the ground as the scratching devices.  Very cool.  I love sharing art projects with them that I remember doing as a kid.  I remember doing my first scratch art thinking it was so magical. 

Our little homeschool will start soon and I am loving the build-up to it.  The planning, the book buying and lending, the new materials here and there....  Such anticipation for all of us as we explore these unchartered waters.  Sewing has been a great resource already as we've used it for measuring, counting, adding, and of course fine motor skills. 

Isabella is making a pillow for a penpal and although we're about a month past the penpal's birthday she has done most of it by herself.  I am super excited to have her finish it up and hope that she will be encouraged to make more things for others.  That will be a blog post for sure!

Enjoy these last summer days.  Hopefully your flowers have fared better than mine.