Reaching New Heights

Well this year has come to a close for us. Today was term end and everything handed in up until today counts towards his Kindergarten year. This for me is a exciting time because it forced me to sit back and look at the year and see where Bug has come this year. In reviewing everything I know homeschooling is the right path for us. He has grown so much but he has grown with us as a family unit still intact. He has grown a sense of independence and knows he is capable of so many things, but on the same token he knows where his roots are and his best relationships are with his family members.
Bug has learned many basic academic skills and has really improved in so many ways. He is really enjoying reading and is so proud when he is able to read something himself. He writes in his journal and can do a good chunk of the spelling and printing independently. He can do some basic addition in his head without the need of his fingers now.
I have learned so much about Bug and his likes and dislikes. I have learned what he enjoys doing so much more than if he was away from me learning all of this. While I'm sure he would enjoy playing with other children all day everyday, that is not what school should be about. Bug has developed great friendships with some other local home learners. I know this has been the best choice for our family and has given Bug such a feeling of greatness. He knows he can do great things if he puts in the work. He knows that if he wants something he just sometimes has to try a bit harder. Bug is going higher and reach new heights all the time, both figuratively and literally. Give him roots and wings, and let him fly!

Finding the balance

Sometimes as a mom you just need to let them spread their wings. Sometimes you just need to let your babies do their thing even if it's not exactly as you would do it.

For many mom things is a hard thing to do. I'm not saying shove them out of the nest and see if they can fly. Though depending on the child that could be an option. We moms need to realize that our children are smart capable people, baring special circumstances, that they are a lot more capable then we like to believe. Given choices and options many kids will surprise their parents.

In regards to homeschooling there are many different families and different values, that you come into contact with. Everything for the fully free range families who allow their children total freedom, to the helicopter families who hover and restrict everything. Neither is wrong but neither is fully right in my opinion, there needs to be a balance.

I'm working on trying to get my own balance in my life.Right now my focus is on trying to find what I want to do for Bug's schooling. I have a vision of what I want but I just don't know how to fully achieve everything I want.

I would like Bug to have a love of learning and have a desire to go out and achieve whatever he wants. I don't want school to be something dreaded. I want him to know how to seek out information. I also want him to know basic academic skills. Reading writing and math are so important and basic skills in these areas are important for any area in life.  I don't want to have the stress of making sure that he is achieving everything that he must according to their standards. At the same time I do want us to be held accountable for making sure that  the learning is in fact happening.

Right now the balance I'm going to work with is guided and unguided days. Where two or three days a week we work on guided lessons which are required for work submissions. These days we will cover and reinforce basic academic skills and develop new ones. This will be time for assignments, worksheet and workbook that I decide that we need to cover. On unguided days this will be the time to see where bug wants to go with his learning. He will get to choose what he wants to work on based on what he is interested in. The unguided days will still have things he is required to do like reading and writing but they may be of his choosing. unguided days allows me to get what I need done because life with three and doing full time guided schooling is just not feasible.

 Bug will only be going into grade one this year and looking at the outcomes of next year we have covered a lot of them already. I'm hoping this balance will work for us and will work into our lives much better then last year.