One thing I have learned thus far in our homeschooling journey, what used to work last year, may not work this year. I guess that goes for just about anything, though, right? The way we homeschooled when it was just Sasha, is way different than the way we do it now. We adjust things as needed. And, quite frankly, I have felt like things need adjusting around here.
I think we will be schooling year-round. GASP!!! I know, I know. I NEVER thought I'd do it. I LOVE summer more than anything, but here is why I think we need to do it:
- I have felt soooo much pressure to get everything done so we can have our summer off; goals met, books completed, and so on. Gotta be done by the end of May. Go, go, go!! But, it is HARD to do and still give love to Audrey and Little Noah. Audrey MUST be with us at all times. Coloring when we color. Writing when we write. Cutting when we cut. We have all found ourselves getting frustrated with her almost daily. What the heck?? We waited 5 long, painful years for her to join our family!! She needs more lovin' and we will give it to her if we know we can spread our school out.
- Having the entire summer off and trying to get back on track in September is hard on us all. But, knowing a break is right around the corner will make it easier to get back into it and focus.
- I don't want my kids to have the "school time" mentality. Learning can and should take place each day, whether it is a "school day" or not. I want us all to love learning and to view learning as a gift not a chore.
- It is easy to get off track and having a break to regroup and refocus will be a good thing. I have noticed that I start out the school year with many great ideas and not all them get done by the end of the year. Taking time to stop and replan will be very helpful....I hope!
- Continuing on in whatever books they are in, at whatever pace they need is a very good thing. Seth is nearly done with 2nd grade math; he'll be done next week. So, I can go ahead and move on to 3rd grade math. He's ready. Sasha and Addie need to take math a little slower. No problem. We'll keep plugging along and speed up as needed. Just one of the reasons I love homeschooling. I can tailor it to their needs.
- I love to craft. To create. It is hard for me to find time to do things like that sometimes and if I am not careful, I start to get grouchy about not haivng time to do the things I love!! Having frequent breaks for me to sew, craft or whatever will be glorious. I can't wait!
So, my plan is to finish up the next 6 weeks or so, have a break, then start up our summer school. I am not sure if we will go 4 weeks on, one week off, but I am sure I will find what works for us. This summer I want to do science which has not been done much this year at all, aside from our science group. We will continue with their phonics workbooks and math. I will try to make it as fun as possible so they won't hate my guts. Videos. Experiments. An occassional math worksheet or math problems written on the window with a dry erase marker. They LOVE that! I plan on going easy on them this summer......Wish me luck!!
