Kindergarten Graduation

Since you all have been with me during my homeschool journey thus far, I thought it fitting to share our special day with you...

James has officially graduated from Kindergarten (a year early!) and we couldn't be more proud of him. He has evolved so much this year and not just academically, but emotionally, physically, and spiritually too.

I look at him now and it's hard for me to image that tiny baby I held in my arms for the first time 5 years ago. Time is going by a little too quickly.

~receiving his diploma from the school principal :)~

I can't express just how much I love homeschooling and being James' teacher. It's incredibly rewarding to watch him learn and grow, and to know we're doing all we can to provide a positive and enriching learning environment for him. I thank God that we are able to homeschool - it's been a total blessing for us.

First grade here we come!

By the way, we made a big deal out of this special event. Hubs and I took James out for a special dinner. This was a special event in and of itself as it was just the three of us (baby sister stayed home with a sitter), a thing that hasn't happened since Juliet was born 10 months ago. I also baked a cake, printed a free diploma from here, ordered a graduation cap from here, and took LOTS of photos (graduate sign printed from here).

~Thank you for your comments!~

Our New Routine

I mentioned in a recent post that I have been re-evaluating our curriculum and how we do school. With the help of Jolanthe's Homeschool Planner worksheet, I created this schedule:

There were key subjects I knew I wanted to cover, some more frequently than others (e.g., math, writing, reading). I also wanted a variety of topics within each day because while James is a creature of habit and routine, I knew it was important that I keep our school time interesting and new at the same time. For example, we do an "art study" every Thursday, but the art that we study is different each time.

Every Sunday evening I plan out our schedule for the coming week by writing in specific notes on the template. I refer to this schedule during our school time and I make a check mark as we finish a subject. I do this so that upon review I can quickly see what's done and what isn't. There are days when we may have to skip a lesson here or there, and because it's not checked I'll see that I need to cover that material tomorrow.

After I've planned our schedule, I gather together all of the materials we'll need for each day and I create "daily trays". I place these trays on the shelves of one of our bookcases. This is not unlike workboxes in the sense that the child simply goes to one spot to collect their work for the day. Each morning James goes to shelves, gets the tray of the day, brings it to the table, and knows that everything on that tray is what we have to work on.

On each tray is a clear folder that holds that day's worksheets. I purchased three Kindergarten and 1st grade workbooks and I simply tear out several pages for each day. Occasionally I add in worksheets I've found online, too.

At the end of the day we paperclip the completed worksheets and put them into this folder. My husband really enjoys seeing what James has done, and James is so proud to show his daddy his school work!

I also have a "teacher tray" where I keep books I use repeatedly throughout the week (e.g., our chapter read-aloud, our reading comp. book, etc.). This is really handy as it keeps my materials separate from James'.

At the end of each week I save the completed schedules in my organizer. This is helpful because it serves as a record of what we've done and it also provides me with a clear idea of what we need to cover. By the way, I must mention that I *love* my organizer! I haven't quite decided how to use it to its full potential, but so far it's been a great help. Inside of it I keep a copy of our monthly calendar, notes, ideas, planning sheets, Weekly Reader teaching guides, as well as pouches filled with writing tools and stickers.

That's one other thing that's been a fun new addition to our school time - the stickers! I remembered that I used to love when my teachers put stickers on my worksheets to show they were pleased with my work. I found loads of these little stickers at the local teacher's supply store. James was just tickled when I pulled them out and I've noticed he puts in a bit more effort in the hopes he'll get a sticker!

Many thanks to my wonderful friend, Terri, for this idea. I made this schedule sheet for James and I keep it posted in our classroom next to our calendar so he can see what's coming. He really likes it and often looks over to it and announces what we're doing next. We start school at about 8:30/9am (or later... depends on how motivated we are in the morning!) and the entire routine takes us about 3 hours. This works out well since our afternoons are usually busy with playing, errands, or classes. (BTW, "morning exercises" is just a more grown up way of referring to "circle time". : ) You can read more about our circle time here.)

I'm really, really pleased with our new schedule and learning method. I like that we're still using our classroom despite the fact that much of our work comes from books and worksheets. We have school every day in our classroom and work at the little table in there. Three times a week James does "shelf work" where for 30 minutes he can work on anything on our shelves. Currently, the work on our shelves is from our mini-units. (Side note: I thought we'd move through those MUCH more quickly than we have - there are 3 units we have yet to cover!) When we get through those I will create only a handful of trays each month.

For the moment, our "curriculum" is really just a hodgepodge of methods using various books, workbooks and tactile materials. Beginning next fall we'll be using more specific methods for our core subjects.

In the next week or two I hope to share about our new school library!

PS: here's a recent pic of my sweet pea. I just can't get enough of that smile!!

~Thank you for your comments!~

Reorganizing

Just had to stop by to share this with those who'd appreciate it:

I found these school books - all 47 of them - at the thrift shop today! There are some real gems in this pile and the best part is the whole lot cost only $12!!

I'm now inspired to reorganize our entire library into a more coherent system. We have four 8-foot bookcases packed with books, and the above purchase will have us spilling over onto another bookcase. I'll be back (at some point) to share details and photos on how I organized our school books and James' reading books. It's going to change the look of our classroom a bit, but I'm feeling ready for a change so the timing is perfect.

Speaking of change, I've also been doing A LOT of thinking and researching about James' curriculum for the reminder of this year and the 2012-2013 school year. You may be surprised to learn that we'll be moving away from Montessori for the most part. I'll still use certain aspects of the method and many of the materials we already have because I really do believe Montessori is an excellent way to teach and learn. The fact is, there are just some subject areas where James suddenly seems to be doing better with worksheets. Not to mention the fact I have come to the sad realization that I just don't have the energy anymore to create loads of trays each month. And on that note, I should mention that I won't be doing big monthly themes anymore either, but instead we'll focus on smaller, less frequent units - sort of like our mini-units.

Of course all of the materials we already have and those that I've made won't go to waste - when Juliet is of toddler age and throughout her preschool years I'll guide her by way of the Montessori method, just as I did with James. It's peace of mind to know I already have all of that on hand, ready to go!

On a different note, I'm slowing working my way back into blogging. I'll stop in and post only when I get a chance. Truth be told, I don't think I'll ever come back to blogging as often as I used to. I've quite enjoyed this break and it made me realize just how much time I spent on the computer before Juliet came! My priorities have shifted, my "free" time has been cut in half, and my energy level hovers somewhere just above low. :) It's all good - I'm not complaining. Just sayin' you won't see me around these parts as much as you used to.

These two sweet coconuts keep me on my toes!

~Thank you for your comments!~

"Socializing" Our Homeschooled Child

One question I get asked quite often is how we address the social aspect of homeschooling James and whether or not we're worried about it. My response is a bit lengthy, but I hope you'll bear with me as this is a subject I want to pay due respect to.

~Aquarium class field trip~

Now, depending on who's asking (or more accurately HOW they're asking) the topic of "socializing" James can be a bit touchy with me. For the sake of keeping things positive and because I will not get into a debate with anyone re this post, I'll avoid discussing the aspects of these questions which make me defensive. What I will say is that I think it's an inaccurate stereotype to assume that homeschooled children are "unsocialized". (I mean, seriously, in today's world, it seems nearly impossible to be anti-social.) I'll also side-step my thoughts on how some children are too "socialized" and not in a good way (think Facebook, texting, etc.).

~Learning about fish and boating from Uncle Peter~

With regard to the latter, I'd like to point out instead how mass communication has opened the doors to something positive for our children. Take blogs, for example: because so many of us are sharing our thoughts and ideas about teaching our children, more and more people are banding together to create mini teaching communities such as homeschool co-ops and educational playgroups. More and more families are opting to homeschool. Educational venues (such as museums) are aware of this and, in turn, there are many more of activities and opportunities being made available to children of all ages. Unless you flat out chose not to engage in these groups and events a homeschooling parent is hard pressed to avoid "socializing" their child.

Ok. That's my very scaled down spiel on "socialization". Now to answer your questions as it pertains to James.

~Arts & crafts day~

When my husband and I first discussed homeschooling our children indefinitely, we certainly took a hard look at the social aspect of school. We recalled and shared stories of our own social experiences throughout school and realized they did little to benefit us. For me, I was VERY preoccupied with socializing, particularly in my high school years, to the point my education and self-image suffered. I also recalled students in my school that were very smart, but because of that they were bullied, ostracized and criticized by our peers. Thankfully, some of them were able to ignore the cruel teasing, but I saw others fake stupidity just to be accepted into that society. For my husband, going to school outside of the home didn't help him overcome his shyness - rather the opposite.

~A field trip to the petting zoo~

Then we found out that even on this tiny island there are plenty of interactive activities available for families and children of all ages. There are camps, festivals, classes, family nights, etc. There's even a homeschooling group here that hosts all sorts of events year round! We quickly realized James (and his sibling(s)) would be in no danger of being "unsocialized".

~Good Friday kite festival~

I must point out that I am not one of those parents that runs around attending and enrolling my child in every little thing *just* for the sake of social interaction. I believe there is such a thing as over stimulating a person. There needs to be time to just be with yourself. Also, while James is inherently shy and prefers smaller groups, he is not this way because we are homeschooling him. It's just who he is and we're totally fine with that. I was the same way when I was his age and, even though I still consider myself shy, I can speak with anyone (and 'regular' school had nothing to do with that change, btw).

~A group visit to the fire station~

All that said, however, depending on the week/month/season, our schedule can be a bit busy at times. Once a week James attends an art class, a music class and a gymnastics class (all are "drop off' classes where he attends them without a parent). He also has tennis lessons with a large group of children once a week. I also host a weekly playgroup for our Meet-A-Mum-Association where caregivers and children gather for a couple hours of play. In that same week we might get together with a friend and go on a "field trip" to the aquarium or some other fun locale. Once a month James attends 2 more drop off classes one at the local aquarium/zoo and the other at the National Gallery where he truly learns about art and sketches to his heart's content. In that same month we'll hit the grocery store, a birthday party, a seasonal event, the library, restaurants, and wherever else day to day life and errands takes us. ALL of them real life social situations where James interacts with whomever is there - not just people in his age group. I think this is of great importance if by referring to "socialization" we mean we are teaching our children how to interact in a society. It's for that reason we do not speak for James - for example, when we go to a restaurant, HE orders his meal and drink, HE says please and thank you to the wait person. He's learning what it means to be an individual in our world.

~Paint your own pottery with friends~

I mentioned Bermuda has a homeschooling group (made up of about 200 families). We've only just joined it (James had to be 4 years old before we were 'allowed' to join) and so far I'm really impressed with all they have going on. Throughout the year and often on a recurring basis there are language groups, sports clubs, family fun days, tours, etc. Over the winter one family held an "Astronomy Class" at their home where families gathered together for a fun and educational evening of star gazing. I've heard some homeschooling groups in the States are even more amazing and host clubs, dances (like Prom), and graduation ceremonies. We look forward to joining one of those communities when our time in Bermuda is over.

~James doing the long jump on Sports Day~

We recently attended the homeschooling Sports Day whereby all the families gathered together to watch our children compete in fun races and games. Every child got a ribbon, no matter what place they got. I was so proud of my shy little guy who participated in every event for his age and racked up 4 ribbons!

~Chilling with a good friend~

So there you go. I hope this post answers your questions. And I hope those persons who read this blog and do not homeschool know that I am in no way shape or form attacking them or ridiculing their way of 'socializing' their child. To each their own, I say. We're all doing our best and what we think is right for our child(ren).

~Thank you for your comments!~

Classroom Tour

Ok, here it is - our new classroom! It's quite a bit different than our old classroom now that we have an entire room to devote just to school. This, of course, means we do not have a guest bedroom/office and any future children we may be blessed with will have to share a room with one another. We're more than fine with all of that. Since we decided to homeschool, we realized it only makes sense to devote an area to that purpose.

Anyway, on with the tour...

The next 4 photos will give you a 360 overview of the room starting from the vantage point of the door. You'll notice the room is broken down into several areas all of which I'll go through in a minute.I was sure to keep in mind that this is James' classroom, therefore wherever possible everything is displayed at his height.

There are three large windows that let in lots of natural light and we haven't needed to use the overhead light as a result. One teeny tiny thing that irks me a little is that the curtain rods were hung too high by the previous tenant so the curtains are a bit short for the windows. :)

I was lucky to find 5 very similar bookcases here on the island. Not an easy thing to do when supplies and variety are so limited. It's hard to tell from the photo, but the rug is very soft and colorful - I think I found it at Target.

That's the entrance to the right. There's LOTS of storage space behind those closet doors.

Now for more details. One thing I made a point of doing was incorporating many special, personal affects into our classroom.

When you enter the room, directly ahead are the language shelves and our classroom calendar. I wrote about our calendar here and about the works you see on the shelves here. The little basket on the very top shelf holds print-outs of seasonal songs we sing during circle time. The very fragrant clove box is from Indonesia, a gift from a friend.

To the left of the language shelves is the reading nook. I think this is my favorite spot in the whole room. In front of a sunny window (with an ocean view!) is a little rocking chair (found locally) and a basket of seasonal books. We made the Waldorf window stars and beeswax ornaments last spring.

This is where James sits during our circle times. I always pictured him sitting on the rug, but he saw the rocking chair and fell in love with it. :) He loves to hold the pumpkin whenever he sits there.

To the left of the reading nook are the practical life shelves. My grandmother painted that still life portrait. The small wooden statue of the girl holding flowers was made in Minnesota (my home state).

The bouquet of flowers was a thoughtful gift from my sweet husband. :)

Next to the practical life shelves are the art and music shelves. On the top shelf is a portrait of Beethoven (we focus on a different composer each month and I change this photo accordingly) and an 'antique' :) MP3 player with speakers which are sitting atop a beautiful woven mat that I purchased while in Belize. We are a music loving family and we especially love classical music. I keep it playing - on a very low volume - throughout our school time. It makes for such a peaceful environment. I forgot to turn on the music the other day and James noticed and asked for it to be turned on. Then, when Fur Elise came on he said, "Oh! Beethoven is playing the piano!". The crocheted doily under the little straw basket was made by my other talented grandma. :)

This middle area under the windows is really just open floor space for bulky work and our sensory tub. I just have to share that outside this window is our driveway and just behind that is a nature reserve full of beautiful trees and wildflowers and with walking trails throughout. Since it's nestled within an estate, it's very private and we have yet to see another person in that area. It's where we spend our recess time, pretending we're explorers. :) The God's Eyes you see hanging in the window are the very ones I made at Camp Ojiketa some 20 years ago! (Yes, I save everything - I'm a pack rat sentimental like that!) The little wooden frame in the middle of the window sill is from Nova Naturals as are the beautiful seasonal and interchangeable postcards within it.

To the left of the windows are the science shelves. This bookcase, like the art & music bookcase, is a tad shorter than the others. I did this so James could reach the top shelves a bit more easily. As you can see we have a classroom fish which James has named "Mr. Pocodeo". It is James' responsibility to feed Mr. P each morning before we begin circle time. He loves doing this, although he does tend to overfeed Mr. P a bit. :) To the left of the tank is a little fish fossil set in stone. I found it many years ago during my travels. James says it's a picture of Mr. P.

Next to the science shelves are the culture & history shelves. You can see our US flag (in a vase w/ stones) which we proudly pledge allegiance to each day, our continents globe, and an oil painting of Paris that I purchased from a Parisian artist during one of my visits there.

To the left of those shelves are the math shelves. I must point out that I set out most of our Montessori materials for photographic purposes only - not ALL of these math items are out right now. Also for the purposes of the photo, I opened the boxes to show what's inside. The painting on top of the bookcase is a fun one - it's an alphabetic tour of some major cities throughout the world. I believe I found it in the Land of Nod catalog (a few years ago).

The last set of shelves nearest to the door are the sensorial shelves. I know the shelves are, in general, a bit out of traditional order, but this is the way that worked best for our room.

I have two live plants in our room, both of which James is responsible for watering once a week. I cannot tell you how much he enjoys taking care of these plants! I have a small watering can and cloth set out for him to use. There's a bathroom adjacent to our classroom so it's easy for James to use his step stool to fill the watering can with water in the sink. He uses the cloth to cover the spout while he's walking from plant to plant, to avoid any spillage. That adorable black and white photo above the plant is of my father-in-law (God rest his soul) when he was a little boy, circa 1925-ish.

And finally there's a small table and chairs and baskets with wipes and tissues on the side.

So there you go! What do you think? We LOVE it. The room is bright, airy and very relaxing. I find myself going in there just to sit and be. It's definitely my 'happy place' and I hope James feels the same way. :)

~Thank you for your comments!~

Our School Week

Because of our move we started school a bit late this year and yesterday was our first day!

I'm thrilled to say it went extremely well, too! Surprisingly, I found myself to be a little nervous in the morning as we got dressed and ate our breakfast. I actually had butterflies in my stomach! I've been doing learning related activities with James for over a year now, so in theory this day shouldn't have been that much different to me.

But it was. Because this day marked the true beginning of our homeschooling journey and I logged in my first hours as a homeschooling parent. Yes, I realize it's "only preschool", but since we've decided to homeschool indefinitely I have the larger picture in my mind and heart.

It was an exciting day and I'd say we're off to a great start. While I'm sure we'll make changes to how our days run as we see the need (reason 1,001 why it's SO nice to homeschool), I wanted to share an overview of how our school week runs.

We have school Monday-Friday, 8:30am-12:00pm. (Note: the following times are approximations - flexibility is key.)
Before 8:30am: We're early birds so we're up and at 'em by 7am. I'll have tidied the house, we'll have made our beds, eaten our breakfast, gotten dressed and brushed our teeth before school starts at 8:30am.
8:30-8:50am: 1st Circle Time. We cover topics on our school calendar, sing songs, etc. I'll write more on this in a couple of days.
8:50am-10:00am: 1st Work Time. This is when James works on whatever he chooses from our shelves. I'm in the room the entire time to guide him as needed and to work with him on new concepts.
10:00am-10:15am: Snack Time. We go to the kitchen where James chooses a snack and prepares it himself (he LOVES doing this). He has a shelf in the fridge and a drawer in the pantry where his food/bowls/utensils are stored.
10:15am-11:00am: 2nd Work Time.
11:00am-11:20am: 2nd Circle Time. We come together for a story, another song or two, a prayer and a few minutes of mindful rest.
11:20-12:00pm: Recess Outdoors. We might play movement games, explore the yard, go for a walk, play with our animals and if it's warm enough we'll swim in our pool.

After recess is lunch and then 1 hour of quiet time where James plays quietly in his room (or naps on very rare occasions).

Each week day afternoon is planned as follows:
Mondays: Baking Day
Tuesdays: Grocery Shopping Day
Wednesday: Playgroup Day (I run this group and it's a great place for James to hang out with some friends).
Thursday: Kindermusik & Errands Day
Friday: Field Trip Day - we'll do any number of things on this day, such as take a bus or ferry trip to another part of the island, visit the aquarium or plan a get together with friends.
And our weekends are all about family time (and laundry!). :)

Our week has a really nice flow to it and I'm thrilled about having our rhythm back. During the 3-4 weeks when we were moving, I was amazed at how differently James behaved. He wasn't naughty or anything, but he was definitely "off". He seemed aimless and wasn't listening as well as he usually does and was totally forgetting all the wonderful habits he had (such as cleaning up his toys without asking). Like all children, he craved structure and routine. I'm glad to be able to provide that for him once again.

Linking up to The Preschool Corner & Montessori Monday.

~Thank you for your comments!~