homeschool – Page 2

Back to (Home)School

September 24, 2019

After a hectic and crazy time, we have finally started the new school year. We have 4th grade, 2nd grade, and K4 in our home. For those of you who are new around here, we are a homeschooling family. We use Abeka Academy and LOVE it. We landed on Abeka’s curriculum after trying out three others over the years. It is hard to believe that I am in my fifth year of homeschooling!

This is Harper’s first year of structured learning, and she is loving it so far. It is so fun to watch her blossom. Her desk is set up in the office with me so I can help her when she needs it. It also helps keep her on task.

I caught Chloe off guard.

Chloe and Addi have a table in the homeschool room where they work. (That mattress has moved..) They go on a ten minute break after two subjects, which helps them get wiggles out so they focus better.

Our schedule varies from day to day. Typically, we get started at 8 AM after eating breakfast. We have an hour break at noon for lunch and play. Then, it’s back to work. Right now, they are finishing up anywhere between 2 and 3.

I tend to get a lot of questions about homeschooling. I love talking about it, so please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions!

Planner

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5 Back to School Books

August 14, 2019

School’s First Day of School // This is the sweetest book about a new school. He is nervous about the first day and all of the children that will be coming. He learns that it’s nice to have all of the children learning– and he learns, too.

The Pigeon Has to Go to School Who doesn’t love Mo Willems’s pigeon books? Pigeon thinks he doesn’t need to go to school because he already knows everything. He quickly learns that school will be wonderful.

LMNO Peas This is a fun way to teach Letters and sounds! The LMNO peas can be anything they want to be.

It’s Your First Day of School Busy Bus This is another sweet story about Busy Bus’s first day of school. Busy Bus’s driver inspects everything to make sure he is in tip-top shape for his first day of school. Busy Bus goes from being fearful to excited about the new school year.

Lost in the Library While not entirely SCHOOL related, this is a lovely tale of the incredible stories one can learn from a book. Lost in the Library is perfect for the kiddos who will be learning to read.

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Celebrating Earth Day

April 23, 2019

I know that it is not super common for a Christian to also care about the planet. In my opinion, that is a shame. God created everything. He put us in charge of it to care for it. Why wouldn’t Christians care about the planet and do our part to take care of it? Anyway, I’ll get off my soap box.

We had our typical school day yesterday. Once Scott got home from work, I had to take off to get some lab work done. I was in a rotten mood, and the lab that made my appointment couldn’t actually do the blood tests. I stopped at Ace Hardware to look at paint colors, and of course the plants caught my eye. I have recently discovered Ranunculus, and have fallen in love with them. I brought this lady home with me.

I put her in a bigger pot right away, and hope she grows really big. We ate dinner on the back deck, and it was bliss. The weather was lovely and warm with a slight breeze. We decided that we were going to go for a short hike with the kids. We brought scavenger hunt check lists for the girls to do.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that the trails were actually clean. I figured we could do some clean up and leave it better. I’m thrilled that we didn’t have to.

This is the girls’ favorite spot to find at this park. You can our picture from last year here; just swipe. While the girls took turns getting baths/showers, they painted their favorite part of the hike. It was fun to see what they each chose.

I don’t know about you, but getting in nature just calms my mind. There’s something peaceful and serene. Even with the kids squealing down the trails and allergies, it was so nice.

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Free Spring Maze Printable

April 9, 2019

I’ve got another free printable for you. This is a fun and easy Spring maze for your preschoolers! I love watching their minds work as they figure out how to reach the end of the maze.

If you laminate these, your little ones can use a dry erase marker to do it over and over again. Click below to download your worksheet and answer key.

math_maze_flowers
Download

math_maze_flowers_answers (1)Download

Celebrate the start of spring with this fun maze worksheet from Education.com! While the weather is warming up, find even more educational math games here

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Spinning Plates

February 12, 2019

I’ve been a little silent over here. The blog may be quiet, but life certainly isn’t. Life is feeling very stressful and overwhelming at the moment.

Dentists appointments. $$$$
Emergency Room visit $$$$$$$$
Eye doctor appointment and new glasses $$$
Plumber visit $$
Doctor removing stitches $

I feel like I’m spinning one hundred plates, but I’m not spinning them well. I think I’m at the point where they are about to all come crashing down on me.

Last week, I spent several hours in the ER with Chloe. She had to get some x-rays and five stitches. If you are picturing a cut that needed closed, don’t. It was awful, but that kid is a champ. She handled several numbing shots so bravely and read Betty Bunny books to me. We got home at 12:30 AM, and were both exhausted. She wasn’t allowed to write for the first couple of days, so she was giving me the answers and I would write them down for her. No school missed that way. She gets the stitches out on Friday if everything goes well.

On the farmhouse front- the news is still the same. As long as nothing big happens, we should get to move in once they are done fixing things up. I will update as soon as I know. I won’t be able to hold that excitement in!!

The big girls are getting new glasses. The eye doctor had to tweak their prescriptions a little bit, and he said they are almost identical. So odd. Can we petition vision insurance companies to cover kids frames every year?

I just finished reading I’ve Got your Number by Sohphie Kinsella and it was SO good that I read it in two days. It was really entertaining and I was anxious to find out how it was going to end. (There was a lot of foul language, which is such a disappointment to me.) I love reading novels, because stories are so fun. But, I end up not wanting to put them down. So, I can only start one on the weekend. Is anyone else that way, or do you love to savor them?

Yesterday, we had our 100th day of school. Most of my big exciting plans for the day were squashed. But, we did still do some fun projects. The kids had a blast and didn’t know about the plans I had that never happened. I think we are too hard on ourselves as moms. My kids had so much fun with their 100th day, but all I could think about was what I didn’t get done for them. How silly..

We’re all really excited about Valentine’s Day. It’s always fun to make everything into heart shapes and remind people that they are loved. Do you have any big plans for V-day?

Happy Tuesday, friends! I hope you are warm wherever you are.

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Unapologetic Motherhood

January 2, 2019

We often talk about the “mommy wars” as though it is mothers against other mothers in the same phase of life. We often talk as though its the mothers in our playgroups that are judging our every move.
Maybe it’s there, but I don’t personally see or experience that.
I see and experience the world telling me how much I am doing wrong. Older women judging harshly the decisions that I have carefully prayed about and researched for my family. Women who are in no way affected by the decisions that I make as a mother. Men do it, too, but often it’s women.
Becoming a stay-at-home mom? When the pregnancy test became positive, my life was no longer about just me. I had these little humans that depended on me to raise them. I wanted to cherish every second with them, and I am so thankful that I have been able to stay at home with them. It is hard work and exhausting, but it is 100% worth it. No, we don’t have 500 channels that we don’t need. No, we don’t have a second car that is also not needed. We don’t take fancy vacations or have the latest and greatest. To me, none of that matters. The people in my home matter more than anything else. God chose me to be their mother, and I can’t imagine a better job.
Our decision to homeschool our daughters? The assumption is that I am not actually educating them or teaching them how to be strong young women. The assumption is that they will turn out weird and unable to function in the real world. To be honest, I don’t care in the slightest if they turn out a little weird. As long as they aren’t cruel, I will take weird and unique any day.
What people fail to see is that the moment I found out that I was going to be a mother, I started praying about how we would educate our children. I weighed every option and carefully chose what we were going to do. I researched curriculum and found what would be best. I’ve been able to meet the needs of my child with dyslexia without having to fight schools to follow her IEP. We prayerfully approach homeschooling each and every year. One day God may call us away from it, but for now it is right. It is HIS will for US. More than that, I don’t owe an explanation to anyone.

Here’s the thing. YOU are your child’s mother. No one else. No one gets to tell you how to raise them. No one gets to make those choices for you. God knew that you were the mama your babies needed, and that is all that matters. There is so much freedom when you decide to stop worrying about what others think. If the people in your circle can’t support and love you with the decisions you make, then they don’t deserve a seat at your table.
Resolve this year to no longer allow the negative voices to affect your motherhood. Resolve to not allow negativity into places of your life where it doesn’t belong. Resolve to no longer apologize for doing what you know is right.
Unapologetic motherhood is my goal.

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Kids in the Kitchen

November 14, 2018

I love spending time in my kitchen. It is my happy place. I love baking bread from scratch and cooking up delicious meals for my family…and sometimes, the meals aren’t so delicious! I used to make homemade egg noodles pretty frequently, but haven’t made them in quite some time.
Harper has recently taken an interest in helping me in the kitchen. She helped me make the cake for Addi’s birthday party. She’s so much fun.

Look at her sweet face!! She was so excited to use the rolling pin.

I loved watching her watch me and what I was doing. She asks so many questions in her sweet little voice.
Egg noodles don’t have to be perfect. Once I had finished cutting them one way, I let her have at it. She actually ended up not pushing hard enough to cut most of the noodles, so I had to go back over them. She had a blast.
I am a HUGE fan of getting the kids involved in the cooking. My mom always had my sisters and I in the kitchen with her. She never worried about perfection if we were making something. She wanted us to learn how to cook. I want the same for my kids. I want them to be confident in the kitchen. The older girls are at an age where we feel comfortable letting them stir things in pots or pans on the stove top while we watch. I’m wondering when the fear of injury will go away.
My favorite day was when they learned how to make their own toast. Addi especially loves to make toast for herself and her sisters. I love that I can go a little slower on those mornings. They love feeling a sense of independence, and I love seeing them grow.
Do you encourage your kids to join you in the kitchen? I really can’t recommend it enough! Cooking is such a valuable “life skill” for everyone to learn!

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ADHD: What Has Helped Us

October 18, 2018

Here we are, 18 days into the ADHD and dyslexia diagnosis. I immediately started implementing some of the things that were suggested by the doctor. I also did some research for my holistic ways to help with ADHD since even the doctor didn’t feel medicating would be necessary for her. I am so thankful for that. I am NOT a doctor, so don’t take this as medical advice. I am just sharing what has worked the best for us.
10 minute breaks- I started doing ten minute breaks in between every subject. Listen, when this was suggested, I honestly wanted to cry and scream. “It is already a battle and takes way longer than it should for school. Now, I’m supposed to add in constant breaks?” Do you know what happened on the first day? She finished HOURS earlier than she had without these breaks. It has continued. The breaks are just enough for her brain to get a break, and then she is ready to dive back in and learn. We are finishing school at the time we should with these ten minute breaks sprinkled throughout the day versus less breaks and finishing at least two hours later than we should. Hallelujah.
CALM– This is a supplement that I started trying for one of my daughters that struggles with her big emotions. I realized that it would probably help with ADHD, and it sure does. It is basically a coated piece of chocolate; no yucky flavors or textures. I don’t do this every day (hello, expensive)– just on days that I can tell we may need a little extra help. It’s so great, and I highly recommend it if you have a child with big emotions that overwhelm them also! I also really want to try out FOCUS, but I haven’t yet. The Relax-a-saurus is also a good option, but I personally am not a fan of all of the ingredients I can’t pronounce. It’s much more affordable though, so do what you need to!
FOCUS roller bottle- If you are new here– I love essential oils. I immediately sought out advice from other moms who found oils that worked for them. This focus roller bottle smells wonderful and helps so much. It is 5 drops of lavender, 5 drops of cedarwood, and 5 drops of vetiver in a roller bottle; then topped with a carrier oil. These are all really calming oils, so this would be great at bedtime as well. If you also use oils, you should check out the pocket reference. I use this all the time for finding oils to help with ANYTHING.
Wobble Seat– I bought one of these three years ago. Goodness the wiggles. I hated it at the time because she would play with the seat more than sit on it. It was just one more distraction. I pulled it back out after the diagnosis. It’s great. This disc sits right on top of the chair. She can sit in her seat and wiggle as much as she needs or wants to. This is great if you have kids that like to tilt their chair as a form of wiggling. No more flipped over chairs.

Again, I am not a doctor. I am not giving medical advice. Check with your doctor if you have any questions.
Doing these things has been such a game changer in our homeschool routine this month. Her grades have already improved. She feels more confident. Our days haven’t been perfect, but I don’t feel like I want to quit homeschooling anymore. I honestly was so fed up and feeling like I must be failing in every way. Now I know that we all just needed some readjusting for everyone to thrive.
Also, I realize that not everyone is like me. Everyone’s situation and experience is different. If medicine is what your child needs, then please don’t feel like you are doing wrong. Some kids really need it, and it saves them from a lot of struggle and hurt. If these things had not started helping my child, then I would have talked to her PCP about going the medication route.
Homeschooling has given us so many freedoms and options when it comes to the diagnosis’s. We have more options than the parents of kids in public or private school. I recognize and understand that. I am simply sharing our journey, so please don’t feel like you are being judged or making the wrong choices. We are all in this together and doing the best we can. We’re on the same team. <3

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Nat Geo Kids

October 8, 2018

I received this product for free from Moms Meet (momsmeet.com) to use and post my honest opinions. Compensation for this post was provided and this page may contain affiliate links.

I’ll be honest. I practically begged Moms Meet to select me for this program! As a homeschooling parent, I am always looking for really great educational books for my daughters. I never struggle with getting rid of “stuff” in our house until it comes to books. Save all the books! National Geographic kids is so cool, and I literally jumped up and down when I saw that I got selected to share this with you. The pictures in their books are so incredible. The facts and information that they give are wildly entertaining. I also never knew that there were Nat Geo kids novels!

The National Geographic Kids Almanac is the most popular kids almanac on the planet. It is such a great boredom buster for your kids! Even if they aren’t at the age for reading, the pictures will captivate them. Did you know that a group of leopards is called a leap? The almanac is filled with all kinds of fun facts like this. Kids are invited to participate in the Lions Forever Almanac Challenge for a chance to win a $500 gift card to host a lion conservation party! You can head to natgeokids.com/almanac for more information on this opportunity. The contest ends on December 3, 2018. The website is full of really cool videos, games, and extra information.

The almanac is so visually eye catching. It is presented in a way that there is something for every kid. It’s such a great addition to our homeschool library!

Explorer Academy: The Nebula Secret engages your kids on all levels. The narrative, code-breaking, puzzles and storyline will keep your child engaged and encouraged to observe, reason, and problem solve. The novel features kids and cultures from all around the globe. It is fact-based fiction that is inspired by the real-life adventures of real National Geographic explorers. Every book contains a Truth Behind the Fiction section and profiles real explorers and their work. You can send your pre-order or purchase receipt for The Nebula Secret to National Geographic Kids and receive a FREE digital issue of National Geographic Kids magazine that features Explorer Academy games. Email your receipt to exploreracademy@natgeo.com to take advantage of this special offer. Since I know many of you will ask, this novel is geared towards ages 8-12.
My daughters are 8, 6, and 4 years old. My 8 and 6 year old loved it. We read a chapter before bed each nigh. It was obviously too advanced for my four year old, but she would come and go enjoying parts of the story.

I have found myself reading the Weird but True book. I brought them over one day that I was babysitting my nephews. The seven year old didn’t want to go to bed because he wanted to continue reading. I went to a football game with his family and brought the 2019 Almanac for him to look at (because most 7 year olds don’t want to watch a football game or cheerleaders). He was quiet as a mouse reading through the Almanac.

This girl was so excited to pick up this National Geographic Kids book from the book fair. She kept jumping up and down, and I gave up on getting a clear picture of the whole cover. ha!
I encourage you to pick up any National Geographic Kids book that strikes your fancy. They are all so incredibly well done and get two thumbs up from all five members of our family!

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Our Journey to a Diagnosis- Part 3

October 2, 2018

You can read part 1 and part 2 if you’d like to catch up.
When we had last left off, the first part of the screening was complete. We went back to finish up the screening, which was very much like “part 2” of the journey. The only difference is that my daughter was EXCITED to go instead of feeling nervous and unsure. That was a huge load off of my mind. At the end, Dr. C said she had all of the information she needed, but that it would be several weeks before she would have the scoring completed to give us the results. With the time of year, there were MANY kids being screened, and she was pretty swamped. I finally got the call that the results were ready, and we scheduled an appointment to receive them.
I really wanted to ask her to just tell me over the phone so I could be ready with questions, but I resisted. I’m working on my patience. ha! Our appointment was yesterday. Dr. C is so sweet and gentle. She wanted to go over what tests she performed and how our daughter scored on them. I’ll share the list, which could vary by where you live and what your doctor feels necessary. I’m guessing it’s pretty similar across the board, but again, I’m not certain of that.
WISC-V
This tests verbal comprehension, visual spatial, fluid reasoning, working memory, and processing speed. Our daughter scored in the 81st-99.6 percentile in all but working memory and processing speed. This is apparently very common in children with ADHD. Those percentiles were DRAMATICALLY different. The full-scale IQ is given. They also give a “general ability index” where they remove the scores for working memory and processing speed. According to the information we were given “The WISC-V is an individually administered, comprehensive clinical instrument used to assess the intelligence of children.”
WIAT-III; selected subtests
This tests Early Reading Skills, Reading Comprehension, Sentence Composition, Word Reading, Pseudoword Decoding, Spelling, Listening Comprehension, and Sentence Composition. According to the information we were given “The WIAT-III is an individually administered clinical instrument designed to measure listening, reading, writing, and mathematic skills.” She was only given select tests for reading since that is the area of concern with dyslexia.
BASC-3 Parent Report Scales
Conners 3 rating scales- parent
These were two large forms that I filled out during the first day of screening.

Then, she read went over her findings with us. Based up on her testing and findings, our daughter has been diagnosed with ADHD and a mild specific learning disorder, with impairment in reading (which is how they say dyslexia now).

I said in my brain “I knew it.” When your mama heart tells you that something is going on, listen. But, I always second guess myself and kept thinking “what if I’m way off?” I certainly didn’t want them to find anything. I don’t want to see her struggle. But, I was prepared to hear it.
What I didn’t really prepare myself for is the “what now?” feelings. I have never struggled with any of these things. ADHD has many options for treatments and ways to cope with it. I am not going to talk about those on here because, quite frankly, I don’t want to hear the opinions of others in regards to whatever decision we make. Plus, every child is different and what works for us may not work for you. What works for you may not work for us. She did suggest frequent breaks during the school day and giving her an outlet for extra energy.
I would love to hear any tips for dyslexia, as this is COMPLETELY new territory for me. We were obviously given some tips. Here are some examples:
-Give her additional time to finish reading assignments
-Allow her time to read books that interest her
-Encourage her to read aloud to herself or someone else
-Encourage her to sound out letter-by-letter words that she doesn’t recognize
-Talk to her about what she is reading and praise her for doing it
-Use a reading device to help her gain familiarity
-Use large print to help with sounding out words (never thought of this one!)
-Provide extra space for writing
-Allow her to orally answer test questions
-Reduce stress and anxiety by allowing her to integrate coping skills

Dr. C said that it’s really good that she’s homeschooled because it allows her the one on one attention that is really beneficial for these circumstances. (I almost asked to get that in writing for all of the anti-homeschooling people in my life.) It was nice to have her full support. I had another fear going into the testing. Because I am a mom, and we all doubt ourselves constantly, I have worried that I’m failing her in every way. Having these test results given to us and seeing that she is far above average in every other subject outside of reading and spelling made me feel a huge sense of relief. She is thriving. I never doubted how smart she is, but I doubted my ability and decisions as all moms do.
Dyslexia is a whole different ballgame that causes kids to struggle in reading and spelling, so I have to adjust and learn to teach the way that she learns. I didn’t sleep very well because my mind was racing last night and this morning about all of this information. Once we make some adjustments and see what helps and doesn’t help, I’ll write up a post and share those things. Dr. C feels confident that once we figure out what works for her, no one will even be able to tell that she has dyslexia. She won’t outgrow it, but she will cope and overcome the obstacles.
For now, our journey has ended. We have a diagnosis. We know what we are facing. We are linking arms with her and facing it head on. This will not define her. It is just another part of her sparkling personality. Will you link arms with us and pray for us as we embark on this journey and figure out what will work best for her to thrive?
If you are local and looking for someone to do similar testing, send me an e-mail and I’d love to give you the information on who we saw.

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