The first last

I'm realizing the title of this post has the potential to give a little "Bible reference" - ha.  In actuality, we celebrated our first last day of school!  As planful and type-A as I am, I did not have an official last day set on the calendar.  So, when plans were cancelled one day last week, I told Jacob we could finish school that day, thinking he would be pumped about it.  Surprisingly, however, he was disappointed and downright sad about this news.  He said, "But Mom, I don't want to finish kindergarten!"  This was news to me, as just a few weeks prior, he was lamenting (on a nearly-daily basis) about "having to do school."  The complaining had subsided, recently, and while he had not necessarily shown outward excitement about our daily lessons/work, apparently, he was inwardly enjoying it.  He also doesn't love change, though, and transitions are not easy, so I understood where the disappointment was likely rooted.

Once he actually finished his books, and I told him we would get to do new ones next year, he was extremely proud and excited to have reached the milestone.  He was also proud to find out he is reading at a Level N (mid-third grade), successfully finish a random Kindergarten year-end assessment readiness test booklet I randomly found at Dollar Tree, and earn his second free bundtlet through the Nothing Bundt Cakes reading program (did you know?!).

400+ minutes of reading each!

Another unexpected end-of-school-year reaction: 

Nearly every school day this past year, I wrote a sentence on the board for Jacob to illustrate.  Sometimes, we would do a "progressive" drawing (i.e. "A car drove on the road." one day, and without erasing his illustration of that sentence, the next day's would read, "A bus also drove on the road," etc., etc.).  I don't know that I had any expectation for what his favorite school activity was, except that I expected it NOT to be handwriting.  I had waited till second semester to start any handwriting instruction, because he has never been one to sit and draw/color, so this type of work is not his strong suit (see picture below - haha).  Not only did I want to let his little hand muscles have more time to develop before "working" them, but I also wanted to keep school really positive and not-super-challenging at the onset.  But perhaps this work was ultimately his favorite because of this; he breezed through everything else we did, but handwriting was something he really had to focus on and work at.  Or perhaps he wanted to just get this illustration done quickly and handwriting was just the first thing that came to mind...  I'm choosing to believe the former.  ;)

There is so much I could write about the ups and downs and expecteds and unexpecteds of the year, but for now:

What an answer to prayer these reactions were.  I was not at all sure what "school" would look like for us this year, and even with materials and a plan, it looked different every day.  We had highs and lows, and if I didn't keep myself in check, it sometimes tended to feel pretty "low-heavy."  So, to hear him say he didn't want it to be over was such a positive affirmation for me and put it all into perspective; it truly brought a tear to my eye.

Another achievement to share!
He was (obviously) so proud of his soccer (participation) medal.

Lydia wanted a "last day" picture, too!  :)  She was such a champ through all the "school stuff" this year.  She truly enjoyed being part of it, and the times she would rather not, she was (typically) very good at independent play, which I so appreciated.  

I have been asked several times about whether or not I will start preschool things for her next year.  Technically, she has two more years till she would be "Kindergarten-eligible," so I have not yet decided whether or not we will do two years of preschool.  Honestly, she has made it very evident on several occasions that she is soaking up pretty much everything Jacob and I work on together, so two more years of second-hand learning will likely put her past the Kindergarten-readiness mark - haha.  We'll see!

Note the sunglasses on her collar - just like Daddy.  ;)

Some of you may know Lydia had eye surgery a few weeks ago.  I didn't purposefully keep this information from anyone, but as the procedure date approached and news of it spread, I realized how few people actually knew it was happening!  It was something we decided to move forward with after consulting with a couple doctors about her eyes (she had some slight crossing that was not allowing her eyes to work together as they should), so it was scheduled months in advance and something we came to understand would be fairly routine.  And it was!

Comforts from home while waiting to be taken back.

Everything went according to plan, and as expected, she was very drowsy after coming off

the anesthesia.

Jacob was so thrilled and relieved when she was "back to her normal self."

Her eyes were still expectedly red here, but her one-week-post-op appointment later that day concluded that the surgery had been successful, as far as could be told at that point.  Her brain will continue to catch up with her eyes' new abilities, and we'll see if there is any further improvement. 

In other news, we adopted another snail (the lighter-colored one).  Unlike its roommate, this one came home with us on purpose after a friend found it on a hike.  Shortly after this picture was taken, we were given a different container for them (a pet store hermit crab sort of one) by a sweet lady at a garage sale.  It is still probably too small for them, though, so if anyone has a similar sort of habitat you're looking to pass along, let us know!

As I mentioned, I could write at even more length about our homeschooling journey, thus far, so if you would like to know more, let's chat in person!  Thanks to so many of you who have supported us in myriad ways.  Your interest, enthusiasm, tangible help, generosity, wisdom, and prayers mean so much and make such a difference.  To answer the last, lingering question: yes, we will be doing it again next year.  ☺

Educationally,

Kensy

Favorites of the day:

perfect weather days

Our church's Mother's Day picture tradition.

This picture and these friends and the fact that we get to spend time with them multiple times a week, both on purpose, and often, coincidentally. 
I could write a whole post about how blessed we are by this family. ♥

 

Post About Homeschooling, The First

This post has been a long time coming and is a product of finally having time and headspace to process and write.  While I often set aside and have been given the time and space to do hobby sorts of things like this, I don’t always have the headspace writing requires.  This has come as both a surprise and an annoyance to me, because I just want to finish the posts I have started, but I do not want to force it and I do want to do it well.  

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!

8/22/22

My student (with a little help from his dad) brought me an apple!

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. 

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.

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!

This is Jacob's "station" (his word, not mine).  He loves it.
I change the message on his letter board each week. ☺

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☺).

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

• being able to grant this request to sit and enjoy the view at snack time

•  snuggling up to read a chapter from our book each day

• raising a well-rounded kiddo who, during our walk downtown, comments on how much he likes this part of the city...with his "fluffy" (steamer) in hand

• 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!)

• this field trip to Union Station that provided a history lesson...

...as well as lots of entertainment and delight about trains of all shapes and sizes

• taking advantage of living so close to so many cool, free(!) experiences/opportunities

(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.)