what our home school looks like

(Because I always try to be an honest blogger, I will tell you that I picked up the room a bit before I took these pictures...)

So beginning on a really practical level, I have a table set up in the living room with a stool on one side and two chairs on the other side. The table can be taken down over the weekend if we'd like. I have all of my teaching materials in the laundry room in a cabinet and bring a bin to the table each day with whatever books and supplies we will need. For now I love this set up. We don't have a natural room to house our homeschooling stuff, and I sort of refuse to turn one of our living rooms into a classroom...I think it has something to do with mixing work with home.  I love that I can pack up our school stuff and put it out of sight in the off time. I know this will change with more kids and more supplies in the coming years, but I hope to be strategic with built-ins and cabinets that we will likely add to the fireplace room. I want our stuff concealed so when we're not doing school it still feels like our home.

The greatest success of our first year of homeschooling has been Ivar's reading. Ivar was two months shy of age six when we started Teach you Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons and it fit him perfectly. He has taken to reading with ease and I think this is due to a number of factors but mainly because he was ready. I have a theory that teaching a kid to read is a lot like potty training. If you do it too early, the parent is going to end up frustrated, annoyed and forced to deal with a lot of drama. But if the child truly is ready, it will go smoothly. So I like that Ivar was almost a solid six before we began. I will likely wait to teach Elsie at the same age, unless she shows signs that she's really ready. (Again, so similar to potty training!

And here's the kicker: Teach your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons is AWESOME. I love this book so much. I looked at a few teach-your-child-to-read curriculums. Some were phonics based, some had cute music that explained the vowel sounds. Some were really colorful kits and exciting. But all of those were super expensive. For real I chose this curriculum because it was one book (requiring no extra supplies) for $19. The title seemed self explanatory enough and as I told Rory, "we'll know by Christmas if it's working. If it's not, we may need to lay down some money for one of those big curriculum sets." But here we are. Ivar is on lesson 76 and he is knocking our socks off.

The method is fascinating, if you're into this sort of thing. The lessons have their own orthography which means the letters look different, silent letters are written smaller, vowels that say their sound have a line over them.  There are clues added to the regular 26 letters to help a child learn to read. Throughout the book these clues are gradually eliminated, but Ivar has made these transitions without trial. Honestly, if you have a struggling reader, no matter if they are in public or private or home school, I'd try this method with them. It's a different approach, but amazing to watch unfold. And it truly takes 15-20 minutes a day (we don't do the handwriting). Amazing.

So that's reading. Math is pretty basic. I chose Ivar's math book because the whole book is in color and I know the boy loves a good worksheet. (And it came recommended.) It's the kindergarten book from the Critical Thinking Company and it lays the foundation for all sorts of math concepts. I use his workbook as my launching point for what I want to teach him and create math games to supplement his lesson. I like this book and will likely use it with Elsie. And, it was $40 for an entire year's worth of lessons. Elsie has gone through a number of math workbooks that I found at The Dollar Tree in September. They have a lot of number writing and counting and most importantly, stickers in the back to put on each completed page.

We've done a few unit studies on: Maps and Globes, Minnesota Geography, Birds and now we're onto Dinosaurs. The library helps supplement these lessons as well as a whole lot of coloring sheets. Ivar recently told me he would like more art projects, so I'm trying to do that as well. That's sort of my sweet spot so it shouldn't be hard to add more in the mix but it does take planning (and mess making)!

Rory and I take turns with bedtime and when it's my night I read from a few different Children's Bibles. But when it's Rory's night, he reads from his own adult Bible one chapter a night. It is amazing to hear the kids' questions and to hear his explanations to their questions. I would have thought they were much too young for the actual Bible, but they are definitely not. I am amazed and the conversations I hear coming out of that room at bedtime. We also have had our kids memorize Psalm 1, Psalm 100 and are just beginning Isaiah 55:8-13. This is done in the morning and evening.

Then we read a chapter book together. We are nearly through the Little House series and the kids love it. A few friends mentioned they wish they had kept a running list of the read alouds they had done with their kids through graduation so I am going to try to share our list on this blog as we go. We have read a few others besides Little House as well. I recently discovered the podcast Read Aloud Revival (you can listen right on the website, and it's not just for home educators...it's for all parents!) and it has been such a joy to me and renewed my enthusiasm for bedtime reading. I used to dread reading aloud at bedtime to the kids because I was so tired myself. But I just started moving their bedtime up earlier so I could still be "done" at the same time, and I sincerely love this time together. It's fun to see the shift in my own heart. Plus, the books we are reading are ones that I am eager to pick up again too.

Other than that, the kids have gym and we still do play dates. We frequent the library and more than anything, they play. And that's maybe the very most important thing happening in this house this year. My kids LOVE to play with each other. The sibling bonding I have seen this year is incredible...it amazes me to think Ivar would be gone from 8:30-4 each day if he wasn't home with us. I truly cannot imagine it. That is so much family time for us, and I love watching him take care of Hattie and be a friend to Elsie. It's a joy and a gift and again, one of the most important things happening in this house each day. They play so hard and it's very gratifying to see.

So that's our basic day in a nutshell, halfway through year one. If you've ever contemplated home schooling, I highly recommend the Minnesota Association of Christian Homeschool Association (MACHE) conference held in April at the Excel Energy Center. (Thursday is a day for first time or wondering about homeschooling parents). Our first year I thought I would see a lot of long skirts and doily headpieces (I had my own stigmas to overcome!) but when we walked in, we saw a whole lot of typical mom's and dad's. Lots of Merona cardigans and jeans. My kind of people. :)

power balls

Have you made these yet? The actual recipe I found was called Trail Blazer Bites, but we have renamed them Power Balls. And contrary to the enormous picture above, they are actually just the size of a one inch cookie scoop. I love having these on hand...they're sort of a mini Lara bar and perfect when you want something sweet.

Power Balls
1/2 cup almonds
2 T. roasted flax seed
1 cup pitted dates
1/3 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup rolled oats

Put everything in the food processor and pulse until all mixed together. In the batch pictured above I tried using less dates but they were sort of dry and I think deserve the full cup. And some recipes call for 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips which would be awesome but they're great without.

The kids love these which is awesome because they think they are cookies. So we limit two a day for everyone and still they don't last very long...

grateful for good people

When Hattie was born she was given an extra measure of joy. I am certain of it. We love that her name is Hattie Joy because she lives into her name. I told Rory recently that she's like joy incarnate. She brightens up our house and lights up our family.

Hattie was born with craniosynostosis. It means a few of  the sutures (the joints between the bones of a baby's skull) fused prematurely. So far there have been no side effects of this premature fusing, but we are being seen on a steady rotation by a few different doctors at Gillette Children's Hospital who are all keeping a close eye on her cranium and making sure it grows at pace with her brain. We love our doctors are feel grateful to have such good care.

The first time we brought her to Gillette's Rory and I got sandwiches in the skyway after all of her appointments and Rory said to me, "aren't you just so grateful that a place like this exists?" A children's hospital is a powerful reminder of the gift of health and the road that some must walk down, though they would never choose that road if they could avoid it. And yet, there is this building packed full of qualified, gifted, world-renowned doctors and nurses ready to care for each kid who comes through the door.

Yesterday our craniofacial doctor said that he wanted us to meet the pediatric orthodontist for an introduction. He explained how incredible this doctor is, the top in her field, recognized around the world for what she has contributed to pediatric oral care. So we walked to that part of the hospital and sat in a dental chair waiting for her to arrive. I think because of his glowing review I was expecting a woman with a cape to descend from the ceiling. But instead this very normal looking woman, a woman who looked like she could be any of my friend's mom, walked in and introduced herself kindly as the doctor we were to meet. I was so caught off guard...surely I've stood behind her at Cub Foods. Maybe she even went to my church once. She just looked so...normal.

Driving home we were stuck in traffic and I looked in the other cars and wondered what job they were coming home from. I knew the doctors and nurses we had just seen were likely in their cars, driving back to their families, their normal lives. But in that hospital they are positively heroes, and I just feel so grateful for each one of them.  I want to say, "thank you for getting yourself through med school, and then choosing pediatric neurosurgery as your emphasis. Thanks for taking it so seriously that we get to come to you for care." I can't explain the overwhelming gratitude I feel when we are there.

I watched people in each car, driving home after whatever job they just came from and I said to Rory, "You know, there are two stories to be told each day. There is one story that is trying to tell us that we all at odds with each other, that at any given moment someone is ready to go toe to toe for our differing beliefs. That story feeds on hate and a few crazies in the mix. But there is another story like the one we just experienced at the hospital where it feels like everyone is for us. And we're for them. And I don't care a lick who they voted for and they don't care who I voted for. We're just good people trying to do good in the world. And you know, that story is likely the story we each could tell 95% of the time, with a crabby clerk or jerk thrown in the mix every few months or so. But majority of the time there is good. And it's such a better story to tell."

I believe that. I think we're fed many storylines in America that promote and encourage division and disgust with the other. But when we're actually working side by side with "the other" it turns out we can get along just fine. Most people are for me. I'm for most people. I think most of us are.

Just remember that while reading news feeds and listening to headlines. There definitely are wackos out there. But try to remember that there are way more wonderfuls.

one epic family vacation

Early in December we rented a minivan and loaded up the kids for one week of family fun. And it was so fun. I think I've been slow to blog about it because I want to do it justice..but some experiences are so good they don't always translate. I'll try my best!

The trip was without a hitch. The kids loved the minivan, the roads were clear except for our last hour before arriving home. We were all healthy and good moods were found all around. Our destination was Ark Encounter, an amazing life-size Ark and museum that just opened in July. We have been following the building of the ark as a family, and I have been dying to get there. So we hit the road to find the big boat.

And it did not disappoint!

The Ark is the largest timber-frame structure in the world. It's size and details are all straight from the scriptures. Inside are cages of animals (not real) and exhibits that explain life in Noah's day, how they could keep fresh water on the ark, how they may have disposed of waste, explanations of the sea-worthiness of the Ark, exhibits on Noah and his age and wisdom, his family and how they may have lived for the full year they were on the Ark (the world was flooding for six months, it rained for 40 days, Genesis 7 and 8). My favorite exhibit was on the trouble with turning the story of Noah's Ark into a cute children's tale. It is not a cute tale. It is a story of a very just God wiping out all life from the earth due to the unrepentant hearts of his creation. The Ark could have saved more people, but other than Noah and his family, there were no other hearts that would turn towards the Lord.

Our kids loved it. To see their eyes when we pulled into the parking lot, looking at the Ark a few hills away, was so great. They held all the awe and wonder the Ark should bring us all. There was a petting zoo outside of the ark and a baby zebra had just been born a few nights earlier. The restaurant was incredible and felt very much like a Disney restaurant...where the whole experience wraps around you with music and smells and costume and ambiance.

The ramps in the ark lead from one floor to the next and near the top is the door. As visitors you actually enter from the bottom of the boat. But the writing around the door likened the door of the ark to Jesus in our lives. There is only one way to be saved. There is only one name under heaven and earth that will save us from our sinful selves when we stand before God Almighty. Jesus is that door. And all are welcome and invited to walk through it.

There was a beautiful gift shop at the end of the exhibits that had fair trade items from all over the world. One of the exhibits focused on how Noah's family filled the earth and how we all come from one race. It was beautifully written and powerful to remember. The gift shop felt very fitting at the close of the experience.

I am so grateful we were able to bring our kids at this age. And the grand plan for The Ark Encounter is enormous. I told Rory that it will be so fun to go back every few years and see what has been added. The heart of the Ark is that all might have an encounter with the living God. I can get behind that. And I know my kids will never forget this day. The night before our visit we listened to all of Genesis 6-8 with the kids. For me, the picture I had in my head the first night was blown up to size by what we saw that next day. That boat was huge. And it all happened just as it is written.

***

The second part of our road trip was to see my Uncle Paul, Aunt Connie and cousin Jessica! We have wanted to visit them for ages, talked about it since our last family reunion, and now they live just 30 minutes from the Ark so we will likely see them more and more! I tell you what. To plan a stay with family in the middle of a road trip is just perfect. We were ready to rest. Aunt Connie fed us incredible meals (we had eaten a lot of fast food up until that point!) and our kids got a day to play and lay low. It was perfection. And I love family sleepovers so much. That first night the adults stayed up at the kitchen table eating bowls of cereal and talked until way too late. You just can't beat that kind of family time! So just be aware, if you're relatives of ours, we're likely going to come and stay at your house sometime. Because we love you!

And Uncle Paul made Ivar his very own didgeridoo! And Ivar could really do it. We would hear these low whale calls from all over the house, and it was just Ivar and Uncle Paul making music together. What a riot! Uncle Paul even let Ivar take his home. I can't make the sound. I've tried blowing low raspberries, but it's a real art. But Ivar has got it. We'll need to find him a didgeridoo ensemble somewhere...

And their house was so lovely. Aunt Connie has the most beautiful taste in vintage decorating and I left so inspired to come home and add some thought to my own decor. Every room felt warm and inviting. Especially this sunny tub for Hattie to get her bath.

We got to see my cousin Isaac and his family the second night and had an awesome family meal together. We were so well taken care of and left with a little swing back in our step for the drive back to Minnesota.

On the way there and the way home we stayed in Merrilville, Indiana. It was the perfect place to stop both there and back, and to our great, great delight, home of the Albanese Candy Outlet Store...a gummy factory! We got to watch gummy bears and peachy o's being made in the factory and then got to shop from all the choices in the candy store. Honestly, I think I was more excited than the kids. Which is saying a lot because they were the actual kids in the candy store...

I could go on and on about this trip (oh I already have?!!). But it was just that good. Top to bottom, it was a great time of family togetherness. A great time of training our kids in the way they should go. A great time of enjoying relatives and introducing our kids to more family who love them dearly. Here's to more family vacations!

homeschool progress report

I have thought about writing my thoughts on our first round of homeschooling many times. What I've realized is that depending on the day you would likely read very different stories. But I do want to take the time to write my thoughts...and will likely do so every six months or so, mostly for my own record of where I was at, what I was thinking, what I was struggling with, what I was grateful for. I would imagine this would make for some interesting reading many years down the road.

My overall sentiment towards homeschooling Ivar and Elsie this year has been extremely positive. I absolutely love it. I know from many friends that this is not often the case. The first year(s) can be really exhausting, with the mom learning as much as the kids. But I had enough wise veteran homeschooler moms speak right to me and tell me from the start, "it's kindergarten. relax. more than anything you want your kids to love learning." And then so many went on to say that with their oldest kids they went so gangbusters the first few years that their kids now don't love school like their younger kids love it. It was with this relaxed view of the year that we moved into our first year of homeschool, and I am so grateful for these words.

My greatest gift this first year of home school continues to be the group of home school teachers (moms) that meet once a month at a local church and talk about everything from curriculum, field trips, meal planning, personal time, marriage care, lesson planning and challenging learners. I love this group SO MUCH. Our kids are all different ages, we are all using different curriculum, we hold our own varying reasons for home educating, but we are all doing it. They are the women who make it look doable. They don't make it look perfect. But they are exceptional at what they do. I learn so much and always feel encouraged and full of grace to keep at it.

Because some days are awesome and other days are a challenge.

Today was a great example of a lesson gone wrong. I was introducing bar graphs to the kids and genuinely excited about it. We sat at the kitchen table and made a bar graph for fruit we have in the house. They loved this project so we moved on and all three of us made a bar graph showing our animals on the farm. The lesson derailed right from the start when I told the kids to write "animals on our farm" at the top of their graph. Ivar felt he had too much of a space between the i and the m in animals and this was so frustrating for him he began to cry. Then his o in on wasn't round enough. And it basically went downhill from there.

In those moments I do wonder if an outside teacher would do a better job. I am the mom and there are certain liberties taken with the mom that wouldn't be taken with another adult. I know this because they behave splendidly in kid's church, ecfe and gym class, all with other teachers. But I'm the mom, so I am also the fall girl. I get it, but I also don't put up with much if we're in "school time" because that perfectionism is debilitating no matter who the teacher.

To calm down from this bar graph crying fit, we watched the male and female cardinals that visit our feeder each day, and then we saw the pileated woodpecker that comes once in a while and then three blue jays. I told Ivar we should graph the birds that visit our feeder. He loved this idea and came back to his normal self so I could talk to him about trying his best, but not being perfect. We had a great conversation about what it means to learn and not do things exactly right the first time. We talked a lot about Rory and how so much of what he does is trying and trying again until he solves the computer code. Ivar cheered up and we had a great rest of our morning. In those moments, I am so glad I am right there to redirect him, help him move on and continue with his lesson. I'm glad I am his teacher.

This up and down in moods and confidence is a pretty typical ebb and flow for us.

So far, my very favorite part of home schooling the kids has been the actual teaching. I really like introducing a lesson, making up math games, reading books and dreaming up coordinating projects and bringing up what we're learning all throughout the day.

There are definitely sacrifices and challenges and absolute bonuses to home schooling. I love that I don't have to wake anyone up in the morning and hustle and bustle us all out the door. I cannot imagine adding that stress to the very first part of our day. So for me, that is a huge advantage in running a peaceful and happy home. The disadvantage, of course, is that the kids never leave! Ha! All Christmas I heard the lyric, 'and mom and dad can hardly wait for school to start again' and I'd think, "sheesh, no kidding." I was ready to send my kids away too! But then that first day "back to school" came and we had a normal morning at home, ate breakfast with Rory before he began his work day and then took an hour to clean their room before school started at 10. The pace of that calm morning reminded me that there are definite trade-offs.

And being responsible for breakfast LUNCH and dinner each day isn't my favorite part either. We are in the kitchen making meals three times a day every single day. I have thought about packing lunch boxes at breakfast that we would eat at lunchtime, just so that I wouldn't have to get out all the lunch supplies so quickly after breakfast. So far I've never been that organized, but I like the thought.

So these are my thoughts on home schooling our kids, half a year in. I just decided to write a second post on the particulars of what we're learning and what's working for us. I imagine there will be lots of ups and down to come, but I'm grateful we are going this route with our kids.