All that to say, this is still not necessarily a comprehensive collection of my thoughts and feelings surrounding this decision/subject. I am sure more will come as we continue on this journey. In the meantime, feel free to ask any questions that you do not find answers for here!
We had been contemplating homeschooling for many years and just kept waiting to make the final decision till we absolutely had to do so. Since Jacob has a summer birthday, we didn't necessarily have to make the decision this year, but because he basically started to teach himself to read this spring, we pulled the indecision plug and landed on the side of homeschooling. Of course, I immediately began collecting books/games/curriculum/manipulatives from ALL the places - garage sales, consignment sales, curriculum sales, Prime day, etc. I also started pooling personal and virtual resources - connections with and through friends and family, in addition to their recommendations of books, podcasts, websites, etc.
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| 8/22/22 |
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| My student (with a little help from his dad) brought me an apple! |
While it was so wonderful to be collecting these things, it only added to the already-existing overwhelm that was the prospect of homeschooling. The physical piles were a picture of the mental chaos (for lack of a better word) I was feeling. It took a full day of finally putting things in their physical places (which could only happen after we switched the kids' rooms and moved some things around...which was also reliant on several other moving parts) for me to begin to see the path forward. The time I spent sorting through, organizing, and housing all of the physical items also allowed me to process through if/how we were going to use those things. It gave me time and space to determine what our days might look like, what I wanted to teach, and how I wanted to teach it. I was literally ordering my mind as I was ordering our space.
Once I got over that hump, glimpses of excitement and readiness replaced the feelings of chaos and overwhelm. I felt (mostly) prepared for this undertaking, and I felt good about the plans I had in place. This also allowed me to more easily talk and share excitement about it all with Jacob. I had it all set up prior to our California trip, but did not plan to start till afterward. He was chomping at the bit, though, after seeing the "new set-up," as he called it. The new things and the new arrangement excited him, which was truly an answer to prayer, as I was not sure how the transition to school would go coming off such a fun and busy summer.
A few examples:
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| We found that cube shelf - exactly what we were going to buy new - on Facebook marketplace for a fraction of the price, cube drawers and all! |
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| This is Jacob's "station" (his word, not mine). He loves it. I change the message on his letter board each week. ☺ |
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| The first week, we did everything everyday. We haven't done that since...haha. |
One of my biggest concerns was how/what Lydia would do while Jacob and I were "doing school." I needn't have worried. She is great at independent play, is often interested in what we're doing, and she has even started to chime in when we are reciting phonogram sounds! There are things we do that she can easily be involved in, and if not, she has several of her own toys and activities available in close proximity. As I mentioned in the room switch post, Jacob is an early-riser, so we often have a good chunk of time to get a couple lessons out of the way before Lydia is awake (but sometimes, we still use this time to play Legos together☺).
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| It was a divine stroke of genius to grab this second daily calendar from a garage sale. She happily transfers her magnets from the board to a basket to the floor to the basket and back again several times a week, if not day. I can't imagine trying to keep her from doing this with the magnets/calendar Jacob and I use daily on the same regular basis. |
There have been several really affirming days, moments, and experiences since we embarked on this journey. There have also been several hard days, moments and experiences. I heard both "I love doing school with you!" and "I hate school!" on the first day ("hate" was new to his vocabulary, at the time, so he was trying it on for size). However, the times I find myself second-guessing the decision to homeschool are often followed by moments and experiences I am so grateful to be able to share with my "students."
A few examples:
- the time we interrupted/supplemented our "formal" history lessons with reading the posted history of the park we went to for recess
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- snuggling up to read a chapter from our book each day
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- fielding questions about whether or not snails can pick up radio signals with their antennae while observing the one we unintentionally brought home from a hike this summer (turns out, the "cool shell" had a resident...and we have kept it alive for several months, now!)
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| ...as well as lots of entertainment and delight about trains of all shapes and sizes |
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(When in Rome (or Crown Center)...)
The question I assume is on your mind (only because it is the first many ask when they find out we have chosen homeschool) is "Why?" (Right? 😉)
Our answer: Our main objective is to provide quality, individualized Christian education for our children.
The next question: What about socialization?
I could refer you to many and various resources in answer to this question, but you could also likely find them on your own. In short, I only worry about it when I allow others' questions and opinions to allow me to worry about it. We do have a small group of homeschool friends with whom we meet for nature studies and playtime on a nearly-weekly basis. I am also prioritizing playdates, library story time, and other trips "out into the world," esp. this kindergarten year when the academic component is less rigorous. If Jacob has had time to develop a relationship and rapport with someone, he is happy to interact with them, share ideas, and is often considerate. He can hold lengthy conversations with adults and is polite and generally friendly when interacting with strangers. I think that's a good start, for now. (In complete transparency, I could have left that answer at the first sentence. The ones that followed are my real-time stream-of-consciousness thoughts as I continue to explain/affirm this decision in my own head. There is probably more to be said, certainly more to be learned, and likely more to be implemented, but I will leave it at that, for now.)
Another, perhaps: "Do you enjoy it?"
Yes, I do. I did not anticipate how much it would increase the level of purpose I feel in my/our days. Aside from the formal curriculum we are using for a handful of subjects, our days and activities don't really look much different than they did before we were "officially" homeschooling. Through this new homeschool lens, however, I am realizing even more that EVERYthing can be educational! We will not have to formally document/report anything for another year or so, but I am trying to be in the practice of at least thinking about the purpose behind everything we do, and in all humility, it makes me proud of myself for having implemented so much education in our days prior to having on my "homeschool goggles." (Is it oxymoronic to say "In all humility, I'm proud."? Ha! I think you know what I mean.)
While I don't know that I enjoyed it, per se, I knew I was "all in" when I found myself researching how to pin bugs for a collection. Who knew there was an actual, official way to do it?! I will happily report that while they might not be quite up to specification, these dried nicely in position, and along with others, have been moved to more formal spots on a larger piece of Styrofoam...next to our collection of leaves (that are also research-based-ly preserved).
If you have more questions, I would be happy to talk and/or write more about it all. In the meantime, thanks for continuing to follow my/our life's journey, no matter where it leads! Appreciate you!
Educationally,
Kensy
Favorites of the day:
recess at the pool!
all of Lydia's new words, lately
Junior Bake Off
(J and I started watching this together (we're doing one episode a week), and it's been so, so fun! I love sharing it with him.)
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