Well so long good intentions of keeping this thing updated! I guess 1st trimesters just take it out of me! Anyway, I have been meaning to blog for a while now, so I'll try to catch up now.
First of all, we just took an entire week off of school for Thanksgiving. It has been wonderful. It is so nice to read non-school books, and have plenty of time for making crafts and doing other things that are not official school work! We have really enjoyed it. This week has also taught me that we really do accomplish a lot in a given school day, although sometimes it doesn't really feel like it. Here's what I'm trying to say: school time itself is not very long, anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour and a half (for my 5 year old and occasionally my 3 year old). Quantity wise, it's not much. However, during that small amount of time every day a LOT of learning goes on, and it was easy for me to feel this week when we did not do any official school work.
Secondly, I have been truly amazed by how much my 3 year old son is picking up just from hanging around during school time. He knows almost all of his letters and their sounds, he can count up to twenty and recognize numbers 1-5 at least. He is really absorbing so much, that is a huge benefit of homeschooling that I really didn't appreciate when we started.
Ok, I want to put in a plug for PCHEA right now. PCHEA is the area's Christian homeschool association, and we are so so so so so so so lucky to have PCHEA! The cost to join is around $30 for the year. The benefits are countless!! By joining PCHEA we recieve emails about interesting things going on around town that we would otherwise be totoally clueless about! We get discounted rates on field trips, theatrical performances, etc . . . Also, it has plugged us in to our weekly co-op, and it has introduced us to other homeschooling families. Honestly I can't say enought about it. I am so grateful for it! By far, the most beneficial thing for my regarding PCHEA has been attending the monthly Mentor Meetings in which homeschooling mom's get together to discuss a topic, and the monthly Mom's With a Purpose meetings which pretty much to the same thing. They have beenn so helpful!
There was a meeting this past Monday, the topic was curriculum for language arts (spelling, grammer, writing, etc .. . ). It really got me thinking about what we will do when we finish up the curriculum we are using now. I know our current curriculum will not last us the rest of the year, we are over half way through curriculum, and we are only 1/3 of the way through the school year. So I guess we will simply start our 1st grade curriculum at that time. I have a running list in my mind of what I'd like to use. When I get it nailed down I'll post about it.
Ok, now I want to take a moment to say how proud I am of my daughter, Mandie, for her effort and progress in school. She is reading so well! She is counting, adding, subtracting, problem solving. I am so grateful for how hard she works and how well she is progressing!! Praise the Lord. Although she does sometimes feel like she's missing out on something because she's not in public school, I think she has glamourized public school in her mind somehow. I am always praying that the Lord would help her to be satisfied with her homeschooling, I know he has not called us to send her off to school, and I am looking forward to the time when she is grateful for that choice as well. I know it may be a while before she feels that way.
OK, blog, consider yourself updated!!
Coming soon, a blog about our school room!!
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