Thank you to a friend I met through Joy, I learned about this great
idea of clip boards with the day's tasks on them, ready to
be checked off. It mostly contains our school goals for the day.
I also learned about Folder games, different activities
in folders for Bobo to pull out and work on.
Deveraux loves playing teacher at any moment. She is so
quick to teach Bobo, to come up with an idea, and to
help organize his learning. She says she does not want
to be a teacher, but I am not so sure.
They are so funny. They want me to ring our bell and then every so
often they will come running in, after waiting in Deveraux's room,
with backpacks on, ready for school!
Setting up her area. She loves that Zebra pillow pet.
Dev is learning cursive.
This is Deveraux's vocabulary book that was my notebook for words.
That is my handwriting in the picture.
I found in in my hope chest and it feels crazy good that we are using my
little notebook in our current life.
Bobo does a great job of playing and creating while
Deveraux and I work. I will usually spend about 20
to 30 concentrated minutes with him, working on our letter
or number for the day. Then for quiet time, I will read to him.
Our school roon.
Another idea from a blogger. I do love reading blogs! I bought
each of the kiddos an art pad and we will keep all their work
in the pad for the year ahead, like a portfolio.
This girl can plow through books When she is into
one, she will go for it.
Part of our new charts is for each of them to
complete a chore in the morning before we
start school. Bobo is in charge of collecting all
of the laundry in the house. Some days, he does
it readily and many days are a struggle to get him going,
I love when Bobo takes learning into his hands, here
he wanted to show me an E he created with Dominos.
Bobo really wanted to fly. He thought if he used the
fan, he could do it.
It did not work, so we tried feathers!
They loved the floating feathers!
A fun book we have been working through is, Arts and
Crafts though the Alphabet. Here Bobo is painting with
eggs on the letter E.
Picture and card making.
Bobo loves to look at books. He also loves looking
at dive and surf magazines. It is funny, I will tell Bobo
that he needs to read and he will say, "I can't read."
Soon enough Bobo!
Here we were trying out a science kit we received
from Kimmy. Armed and Dangerous!
Waiting for our baggie explosion!
ready for school
Brand new ballet shoes....for her Ballet and Bible class....
And leap....!
They asked if they could do quiet time together, hard to resist.
They have been in a good season of playing. There are still
harsh words and using our hands instead of words, but they
are mostly so good at creating, imagining, and playing together.
I never know what is coming up next....
They have been so after having a playhouse. This
was one such attempt...piled high in the garage,
she spent her quiet time up high.
On a good day, we try to start at 9 to 9:30 am. Coffee and
waters in hand I head downstairs, sometimes ring
the bell or just holler out, School!
We sit on a blanket together and read our Bible.
We might work on a memory verse and then pray.
We then usually work on history and then subject
by subject work on our checklists. When Dev is
involved in some independent work, I grab Bobo
to work with him a bit. There is usually a snack or
lunch, a break or two....then it is quiet time, and then
either free play or hopping in the car if we have
something planned.
(Dev enjoys taking "swing breaks" on the back lanai)
I thank my fellow mom bloggers for so many great ideas!
There are days where I feel I am using all my energy to
constantly grab attentions, resolve conflicts, feel as though we are just
getting through a lesson to "get through it"-which is not what
I desire in home schooling. I would love more planning time,
I have visions of where I would like to be...but for now, it
is where we are and I hope to continue to refine it as we go.
I don't have my great philosophy on homeschooling yet,
(I still need to read a few books). I wish I could say I am
completely satisfied with where we are or I have my five
points on why the Gallagher's home school or that I am
the picture of the most patient and creative teacher. I wish I
could have a day that I have a built in planning time each week and thus
very intentional in all I do.
(this is a notebook I used when I was young...my letters
I wrote for the alphabet our on each page Dev writes
her vocabulary words).
I have ideals of what I desire in home schooling and learning in general ( love of learning, imagination, creativity, problem solving, excitement,) but I am stopped at times by
the fear I will miss the standards of the grade. I was also a bit bugged
when Deveraux would come home from school with all her photocopied pages of
workbooks..."Judge not lest ye be judged." We have workbooks
and they are good in providing a guide and yet, I want more.
I know I home school because our time is so short that we have with our kiddos.
I know I homeschool for the ways we can guide our two and be very
involved in their days.
And I know I homeschool so I can create some of that ideal and we can be creative.
A little rescue/rope climb before school
on this day.
(Finished up school in the garage this day...)
So What can I say?
I can say. It feels right to home school in this season. I like
some of our materials. I am inspired and challenged to do more.
It can be hard.
I am after finding the balance between making sure we learn
"standards" but more and more want to live in the
freedom of what homeschool offers.
I am in it and glad to be in it. I have some ideas of how to come closer to some
of those ideals.I believe I will be in a different place
for next school year. My kids are learning. We have a lot going on in
our lives and mostly we are doing okay.
(Dev doesn't know how much of a teacher she is.....)
A very "studious" picture.
Summer is coming.....
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