Latter-day Homeschooling

I have now added the Latter-day Homeschooling button to my side-bar.
Here's to synergy!

Embroidery for Kids

Since his first and last sewing lesson over a year ago, Dash has been begging me to let him sew or embroider a second project. Most of his ideas are a bit too ambitious for a half-pint of seven.
Then we went to visit Grandma.
On Grandma's wall hangs a little embroidery image of a paper airplane. There was our project idea.

Shown is Dash's finished project, with supplies.

 

Charlotte Mason Scripture Study

I recently read (most of) Home Education by Charlotte Mason.  On children's scripture study she states, "By nine they should have read the simple (and suitable) narrative portions of the Old Testament, and, say, two of the gospels," (page 165, kindle edition). Lightbulb!
Super K is 8 years old, and can read a couple grades above his own--if he's interested. I felt he was ready to move beyond the LDS scripture readers that he's gone through time and again, I just wasn't sure how.
Charlotte Mason Scripture Study:
We opened up to Genesis chapter 1. I did a quick skim to decide how many verses made up the first complete thought. That was easy for the first week: one day of creation at a time. I would skim for vocabulary words (like firmament) to explain before he read. Then he would read the assigned verses. To finish, I coaxed him to narrate the story back to me. This is what he struggles with the most. The next day, I first asked him to tell me what we had read about yesterday. Then we repeated the cycle.

Notes: It took us 7 days to get through the first chapter, but that was a great warm-up exercise. I hope to soon get to the point where he can read a full story episode in one sitting.

My mom (a seminary teacher for the LDS Church) just showed me a link:
LDS Old Testament Reading Chart (seminary version)
It skips so me of the naughty chapters (like Lot's daughters and Song of Solomon) that don't really aid spiritual growth. Also, it begins with chapters from the Pearl of Great Price. Wish I'd known that a week ago.

Pondering: 2011-2012 School Year

I had given up on homeschooling. Really, I had. It seemed any time I moved in that direction, a divine hand would interfere. I assumed God was letting me know that homeschooling just wasn't for us.

Then, a few months ago, I read a blog post from a friend I haven't seen in years. I was surprised to learn she was homeschooling. I spent a day thinking about it. Then I discussed it with my husband, but not my children. I was surprised when I picked my daughter up from preschool that day, when she asked me to teach her at home this fall for kindergarten.

Was it a sign?

So I researched, prayed, had counseled with my husband and children.

In the end, I had a firm testimony that God wanted me to homeschool Mia this fall.

The boys? I love them as much, but there's no way I could effectively teach all four children this fall. Thankfully, they solved everything the easy way: they still want to go to school this fall.

Back to School

Our school "room:" a hand-me-down little tikes workbench is the perfect desk. It has a groove that holds the magnetic white board we'll use for his magnet letters. To the left is a four-drawer Sterilite bin, picked-up at Wal-mart for $9. Not pictured is his "diesel" (easel) and my teacher storage space.
The oldest three are off to school, but Little Nephi and I have plans . . . at least, I do. My mother's advice was that, since he's an easygoing child, we'll be most successful with an easygoing preschool curriculum.

The bin system worked well with Mia last year for preschool, so I'm using that. Instead of 9 bins like I had with her, there are just the four drawers, plus space for library books. We plan to do preschool only three days a week (after all--he's not quite three himself).

I hope to keep you well-posted with our exciting school year!

Sunday Thought: Motherhood

. . . the value women place on motherhood in this life and the attributes of motherhood they attain here will rise with them in the Resurrection. . . . There is eternal influence and power in motherhood.

~Julie B. Beck, "Mothers Who Know"

Fourth of July

Okay, so I've been so busy living summer that I've gotten behind on blogging. Apparently a month behind.

The sugar cookie crust fruit pizza flag was delicious. I'm starting to relax better with our group activities. A few years ago, the blueberry stripes might have bothered me. Now, I think it's cute.

For Family Home Evening early in July, we did a patriotic art project. First we attempted the Lady Liberty Art Lesson from Deep Space Sparkle, but the younger ones were intimidated with drawing the Statue of Liberty (I should have told them to draw a stick figure with a spiky crown).

Then we salvaged the lesson. We drew "fireworks" with crayons on paper, then gave them a puddle of blue watercolor paint to spread over the paper. Mia and Dash dove straight in.