October

October has been busy! Nothing particularly exciting, just a busy daily grind. My daughter did, finally, have an Occupational Therapy evaluation for the pain she experiences when writing. She likes some of the games & exercises, but not others. It seems her fingers are "locking", so she was shown a massage that can help relax her finger joints, and I have found that helps if she periodically stops her writing to do this exercise. She giggles like crazy getting the monkeys into the barrel with a special instrument (she has to use her fingers properly to do so.) We learned a new tic tac toe version- we each get a word (not an x or o) and the word has to be written correctly. I found it interesting the OT noted the same thing my daughter's vocal coach keeps correcting- scrunched up shoulders. I have been taking advantage of the weather and my daughter has spent a lot of time outdoors. She plays football with some neighborhood boys- they don't seem to be soft on her at all because she's a girl, and I think she is thrilled with that. She did end up with a nasty bruised cheek/eye after a tackle earlier this month. I told her that was it for injuries this month, but she didn't listen. She got a friction "rip" on her palm while playing on the playground equipment (it's basically a large, sloughed blister.) After getting ver the initial stinging pain, she had a temporary joy thinking this would get her out of schoolwork- it was her right hand- but, no, she can still read, type, and give me oral answers!

Field Trip: Hot Rods for Heroes

We are still recovering from a long and wonderful day with our pals from Hot Rods for Heroes.  Being a military family, we had an incredible chance to go behind the scenes at the NHRA qualifications this past weekend. While we were based at the Permatex/Follow A Dream team's pit, we also met Alexis DeJoria and Clay Millican and the Parts Plus team. My daughter was inspired by her experience watching the awsom Jay Blake (Follow A Dream) at work. She loved the slower cars, but the top fuel cars scared her a bit, so we sat at the pit after a few of those races. She said it wasn't so much the noise, but how much everything- from the ground to her teeth, shook when they go by. She saw science in action- from machinery, to chemistry, to physics, and the math involved in speed and racing. When the Permatex car brushed along the wall, she got to see the damage- the solid metal pipes were melted and fused. Talk about heat!

The damage:

Marathon Kids

This year, my daughter has been entered into the Marathon Kids program. We recently celebrated at their Kick Off event, where we both did the first quarter mile. There were kids, teachers, and parents from all over the area- both traditional schools and homeschools. She had fun racing one of her homeschool friends during the lap, and ended up way ahead of me! When we looked at her tracking sheet, her only dissapointment was the box to check off she ate squash or zucchini- she dislikes both.

Marathon Kids is a national program that encourages physical activity and good nutrition. It is open to any elementary school child. Visit their website!

A really distracted day...

I know how important routine and predictablity are to my daughter, and today demonstrated what a mess things can become when our household routine, homeschool routine, and my general activity level tanks. I work at the nearby public school part time and it seems I catch every respiratory virus that comes around. Most of the time, I'm just a little sniffly- this month I caught a full-blown cold to sinus to asthma mess that has left me drained- still moving and getting through the days, but absolutely drained. I have tried to keep up with the homeschool lessons, and for the most part things have gone well. Not today- my daughter spent the day unable to focus on anything (I mean anything) for longer than a few minutes, kept needing my attention, and I was too tired to keep redirecting and trying to talk and stay focused on what I was supposed to be teaching. So, we gave up. Part of the work done, the rest will be added to tomorrow and we'll plug along as we can. Honestly, I pretty much knew the day was over when doing sentence contruction, I asked her "where do shooting stars shine?" and she said in a village... and she was serious. So, tonight I will continue to treat myself, boost my immune system, and hopefully get enough sleep to be ready to focus and keep her interest in the morning.

End of the first month of Fourth Grade...

We have had a very busy August, so I have had barely any time to do everything I have needed to do. Overall, Fourth Grade has started well, with only one major snag- there was an initial (expected) tantrum-prone rebellion in the beginning of the month. She did NOT want to do school. She did NOT like math or grammar. She wanted TV and to go out to the playground or the pool and to go see her friends and to go shopping... She protested completing her work and discovered she was going nowhere. She could be on the couch, at the table, in her room, or anywhere else in the house. But she was not allowed to go to the playground, the pool, etc. Oh, there was also no TV or XBox. Or shopping. The day her rebellion turned to creative sentences in her grammar book, I knew she was getting the idea. So far, she has actually been getting her stuff done, and with a much happier attitude.

This is the grammar rebellion:

First Week of Fourth Grade

The first week of Fourth Grade is over, the year has begun!

My daughter had a light schedule, which turned out to be a very good idea. She was exhausted from her vacation with grandma, and once fell asleep while doing math. The focus for the first week was Reading Comprehension (Mary Poppins), and Math (numbers, including huge numbers). She even got a chance to do some real-life math helping out at a fundraiser booth! There were a few other lessons- like an impromptu history/science lesson on locusts. We discovered a nearby playground that has an extensive trail leading from it- and I can't wait to go back! We love hiking. She also had an important Choir performance, and the kids did such a terrific job!

For the rest of this month, she will have a gradual increase in classwork (starting Grammar and her Science curriculum, for example.) By mid-September, all her coursework should be in full-swing.

A very busy July!

We have had a very busy summer! Our area was hit hard by the derecho that passed through Maryland right before our Independance holiday. We still managed to head out for vacation, but were slightly delayed. I learned how useful having a CB-owning husband is on a road trip where over half the gas stations along the highway were inoperable due to power outages- he just kept up conversation with the truckers. We visited family down South and had a blast- after the power outages and storms, we also experienced a midnight swim, my daughter sang for the family Church, we moved some cinderblocks and got stung by bees, more swimming, trampoline-ing, a massive fireworks display, Legos, and, a lot of time with family.

My tire somehow got a hole in it while it sat at home for our vacation. That was a fiasco. We have had friends and Church events, which have all been incredibly fun, but last week, my daughter told me she felt a little burned out from all the activity, so, other than VBS and some family time, we have had an at-home week this week. VBS was super-fun, and I loved volunteering. The theme was bugs, and, lo and behold, my daughter caught a rather large praying mantis- which we then brought in for VBS. He- my daughter named him Manley Mantis- was a hit and fit in nicely with the theme. He has been released back into the wild, but so far has refused to leave our porch. Maybe he liked us?

I have planned out August, and part of September for homeschool. I am eager to start, but we still have a bit of vacation left. My daughter is headed for a visitation vacation, but once she comes back home, we will be slowly getting back into the school-days routine.

Pictures will be coming soon!

4th Grade Planning

I have spent several months looking over different ideas for my daughter's upcoming Fourth Grade year. I like a lot of what I used for Third Grade, but not all, so I had to make some new choices. I finally have the majority of the texts and workbooks I decided to use.

For Grammar & Writing, I will continue with Climbing to Good English (pictured), and add in Handwriting Without Tears (not pictured). For Reaeding & Comprehension, I will start with Mary Poppins and a comprehension workbook (pictured), followed by Reading Comprehension (Jane Ervin; not pictured). Besides using vocabulary from her various subjects, I will use a Greek & Latin Roots workbook (pictured).

For Mathematics, I will be using Aha!Math (not pictured), in part because I can print a record of what subject areas she has covered, and the program offers assessments. This is an online curriculum. For a workbook supplement, we both went over several different workbooks, and she picked this 4th Grade Math workbook (pictured). I will keep Sylvan in mind if she seems to be struggling doing written math, but this workbook is formatted in a similar way and did not intimidate her.

For Science, I chose a ScienceSaurus book (not pictured) and combining it with the Basic Not Boring Science for 4th to 5th grades workbooks (pictured).

For History, we are moving into Book 2 of Story of the World (pictured). For Geography, I chose the Geography Coloring Book (pictured). I will only be using certain sections of the coloring book, that are simple enough for my daughter and emphasize what she is learning. Other topics, like Government, may use other materials.

For Health, we will be covering different topics, and I do not have everything, yet. The Basic Not Boring series has a Human Body & Health workbook. I will continue to use ideas from our Hopscotch book (pictured) for P.E.

Art will have a variety of projects from other subject areas (like History). For Music she will continue her voice and instrument lessons.

This year I will be picking different famous people to do a brief look at their lives and how they contributed to the world. I will be choosing according to the topics she is studying, if possible. I also have some games, and am looking at others, that emphasize different subject areas. Abalone (pictured) & Treasure Trove are the newest, but we also have Around the World, Scrabble, Boggle, Bananagrams, and others.

Blue Angels & More

We had a terrific time going to see the U.S. Navy's Blue Angels last weekend. We went to Martin State Airport to see the team up close (very up close!) as well as the numerous other attractions. My husband took my daughter up in a Cessna- the first time for both (a local school was giving rides), and later, they both convinced me my fear of hights would not rear its ugly head. It was not as bad as theme park attractions (where I now keep my feet firmly on the ground!)

On their first flight: my girl is in the back.

My daughter has been practicing chin-ups, copying my husband as he stays Army fit. At Martin State Airport, the Marines had a bar up for any takers- she took their challange and (with a little help after 5) did 10 chin-ups to earn a large goody bag!

We saw various military aircraft, and I watched while my daughter & husband ran around ooohing and aaahing and squealing (okay, that was my daughter) with delight when something took off, did a fly-by, or landed. When the Blue Angels flew, we were able to be close-up for them lining up, taking off, and landing. Afterwards, we got their autographs.

The Angels lining up for take-off.

My girl's favorite pilot was #2 for the very little-girl reason of "he's the tallest!" She was super-impressed with his hight, and I was super-impressed with his gentleness and humor.

During this two-day field trip, we covered the War of 1812- this was the 200th Anniversary of that war; our Armed Forces, flight & aircraft, face-painting, and physical fitness. Whew!

Field Trip!

We have had a super-busy time, including a very fun field trip! My husband is in the Army National Guard, and one of the perks is how our FRG plans really neat events. Recently, the unit and families participated in a fun cookout, including... a rock wall! To say my daughter was overjoyed would be understating. Not only was there a neat lake with ducks and nests, a huge park to run around in, a DJ, tons of food (and deserts), but also a rock wall she must have climbed fifty times.

Racing a soldier to the top!

Homeschooling and Special Needs Children

My daughter is "special needs". It was a big reason why I chose to pull her out of public school and homeschool instead. I have researched a lot of the benefits and struggles with homeschooling a child who has struggles, and here are a few links:

HSLDA Special Needs has lots of information on homeschooling the special needs child.

Homeschooling the Learning Disabled and Other Special Needs Child from Bayshore Educational has links.

Experiences of ADHD-Labeled Kids Who Switch... from Peter Gray.

HSLDA Homeschooling and ADHD

I have found that my daughter responds very well to one-on-one, to being able to take a break- 5 minutes or a day- if necessary, to be able to slowly reinforce skills in focusing and handling emotions, and to be able to use right-brain and alternative methods of learning lessons. I have learned there are numerous different techniques, skills, and options that can be used as needed to help me as her teacher and parent.

Literature: Nancy Drew

A family friend recently gave my daughter a few (revised) Nancy Drew books. What a thrill! I remember reading these, and the Hardy Boys, as a child. While I have been reading to her from other classics, she is hearing the stories, but not understanding enough to get "lost in the book," so to speak. She can hear the words, but she doesn't feel connected to them or the story. I hope these Nancy Drew classics help my daughter gain more interest in reading (she dislikes both reading and writing) and expose her to well-written literature she can understand.

Most of the modern kid's "literature" I've been previewing is not well written even if popular. Many also describe innapropriate behavior, attitudes, and scenes. I thought, at first, that if she got interested in reading, she could progress to better literature. There is a fad she has gotten into, and I let her get the book... But when I ask her about the story, she only desecribes fashion, make-up, and worry about boys. The kids in the story do not have relationships with their parents, and they do not deal with real issues, but just various forms of giving into peer pressure and group acceptance. She also never asked me about new words while reading that modern book. But, in the first chapter of a Nancy Drew, she has already asked me about several words and what a sentence means.

I found an intersting article on the womanly example of Nancy Drew (Nancy Drew and True Womanhood) that confirmed my feelings on the difference between the young woman in this series compared to the young women portrayed in many of the popular modern children's books.

"End" of the school year

Tomorrow I will be marking down my daughter's 180th official day of school. Maryland homeschool laws [PDF] do not specify a certain number of days of instruction, but they do mention that public schools have a 180 day minimum and that homeschool should be "of sufficient duration" for a child to be taught. I use my county for reviews, and my daughter's father also needs a way to be aware of what I am doing with her. I use an attendance chart to demonstrate "sufficient duration" throughout the year. What I count as a "day of instruction" is any day on my calander where I cover three or more subject areas with my daughter, or we have a field trip, even if that field trip covers only one subject area.

Realistically, most homeschoolers teach- in some way- daily. I do not always mark down teaching moments or I would be spending more hours doing paperwork than would be viable. My plan, actually, includes many more school days than the 180 days. Third Grade math is unlikely to be completed before August, and my daughter loves her history text, so has asked to keep working on that through the summer. Swimming, water safety, reading, writing letters, and more. Learning doesn't have to stop! I just don't plan on tracking attendance again until September.

Unexpected Field Trip

We had an unexpected, and rather pleasant adventure yesterday!

Our travel to Spay Now took longer than expected (traffic, of course) and I decided we would stay on the Eastern Shore for the day instead of fighting traffic for an extra round trip. I did not, however, know what we were going to do. A quick Internet search turned up nearby Wye Mills.

We visited Wye Grist Mill. Rhonda explained the history of the area and the Mill. My daughter got to even try her hand at hand-grinding and crank grinding corn. Out back, we saw a large Great Blue Heron just hanging out. He did not seem bothered at our nearness- we were maybe 30 feet away. Rhonda recommended several other places to go. We saw Wye Oak Park- including Maryland's State Tree, the Wye Oak, and an old schoolhouse.

We then went to the Chesapeake Exploration Center as a starting point for a short Cross Island Trail walk. Their museum has a small collection of artifacts from the Bay, and an amazing exhibit from a local artist, Coleman Sellers. On our walk, we had fun getting our toes wet, and my daughter found jellyfish. Lots of them. The lady at the Center was suprised there were jellyfish already. After looking at photos and descriptions of various jellyfish I am not sure what species we saw, but it may have been teeny lion's mane jellyfish. I do not think we saw sea nettles, which are tracked in the Chesapeake Bay because they cause problems with swimmers. While lion's mane jellyfish grow rather large, the colors and general look seem like what we saw, and from what I read very small ones can be found.

Art: NGA Kids

Learning about art is so much more fun when you can really interact with what you are learning! The National Gallery of Art's kids page has some fantastic (graphic intense) interactive games that help turn art concepts into vibrant demonstrations.

Science: Feline Castration

In honor of our newest Wildcat Flynn's upcoming neutering, here is some information on feline castration. First, correct terminology. Neuter is a gender-neutral term and can mean a castration or a spay. Castration is the lay term for the male neuter, while the technical terminology is orchiectomy. Spay is the female version, or oophorohysterectomy to be technical.

This veterinarian's website has a beautiful, simple explanation. At the bottom of the page is a link for a slide show of the actual surgery. If you are squeamish at all, do not click that link, as it shows photographs of an actual open surgery.

Given my background and experiences with anatomy, body functions, and surgery, my daughter has heard from a young age about proper body names, and age appropriate body functions. She has known for a while how a baby grows in mom, and how a baby is born naturally, including viewing diagrams and pictures. She knows about male and female body parts in a very basic way, including identifying the very obvious testicles of our male rats, guinea pigs, and her new kitten, so I made the decision to let her watch the slide show (after I previewed it) and learn a bit more about male anatomy. Her opinion of the surgery? "Not a big deal." Once she knew that Flynn was going to have surgery, she asked me several times to explain what would happen so she would know he will be okay. I know my daughter, what I've already taught her, and her squeamishness level- please take your own child's knowledge and maturity into consideration before you decide to discuss the details!

History: Ancient India & China

I use Story of the World for history, and we are nearing the end of the first book. This month, my daughter is learning a little more about Ancient India & China. Having spent my second decade of life living in Bangladesh, and travelling the Indian Subcontinent & Asia, I have found the chapters on India to bring back memories. I'm not quite that ancient, mind you, but I fondly remember the weather, cattle, crowds, colors, & food. I learned to cook some Indian food dishes since coming back stateside (though my daughter is only barely okay with mild curry, and my husband won't touch "exotic" at all.) I realize, as I talk to my daughter about my memories, and try to relate that to what she is learning, that my experiences there are very far removed from the life she knows.

I found and online translation of the Mahabharata and I penciled that in for some summer read-aloud time. I love the art work and I still remember reading both the Mahabharata and the Ramayana as a teenager. (This will go under "Language Arts: Literature" in my record-keeping.)

I love the British Museum website, and will be using their Ancient India and Ancient China pages. There are games, short readings, and quizzes, as well as maps and pictures. I can take a Science trip and discuss the Indian cattle breeds, commonly called Brahman and Miniature Zebu. (TNAU Animal Husbandry, Love4cows both have good photos.) She can explore the different cycle of seasons, including monsoon.We will also look at Hinduism and Buddhism, two religions origination from this area.

Science: Birding

Last year, my daughter learned some basics about birds & how to identify the common species we see around our home. She has maintained an interest in birds, including often asking to look up a bird she heard about. We saw the movie "The Big Year" in March, which piqued her interest to see how many species she can find herself. In April, she went on a mini-hunt, and identified approximately twenty-five species over the course of two weeks. Her favorite bird-spotting moment? When a blue heron flew directly over her head on the way to the water!

Here are my favorite links for birding:

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology has photos along with information on each species.

The Maryland Ornithological Society and their Youth Division. Much of their information is better suited to older children or adults, but their Birding Basics has good information on the how-tos. Their Ethics page helped me introduce "ethics" as she begins to understand our responsibility in this particular endeavor.

WhatBird helps with using a variety of characteristics to identify different birds.

As a Science topic birding includes: exploring bird identification, anatomy, habitats, and behavior; environmental science, such as habitat protection; ethics, including proper behavior of the birder; other animals and plants found in the habitats; scientific classification and species names; and exploring endangered species, and how populations are affected. Math is used in a real-world manner through counting and estimating, grouping and categorizing. Language Arts skills include reading and comprehension, learning to research and write a report, keeping a journal, and using library and Internet (technology) skills. As for socialization, in our experience, birding has allowed us to meet with and talk to other adults and children we meet while out walking and observing.

My Teacher's Planning Calendar

Over the past year I have worked out a system for recording lessons in an easy-to-view format that allows me to seperate each subject area, and customize for short notes along with a brief resource list per subject. This has evolved into a 5-page monthly summary- which seems like a lot, but my table format is what takes up the space, not words.

I prefer a computerized version of record-keeping, as I not only need to keep my state-required documentation, but also keep a more detailed record for my daughter's noncustodial father. I can save the month's record-keeping on PDF format, making it easily accessible, without having to make numerous copies.

Instead of placing all lessons per day on one calendar day- which I found messy and which did not easily allow me to check progress in a specific subject- I now use a table format that allows me to place two subjects on one page, each subject having it's own 5-week section, allowing a slight overlap of the previous and upcoming months. I pair Language Arts and Mathematics, Science and Social Studies, Art and Music, Health and P. E., and Religion and Socialization. Each pair recieves their own page, totalling 5 printed pages, one-sided, per month. Under each pair is room for an abbreviated list of the resources used in the subject that month.

SAMPLE Month 2012 Lessons & Activities SAMPLE

	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
Lang. Arts Week1	day	day	day	day	day	day	day
Week2	day	day	day	day	day	day	day
Week3	day	day	day	day	day	day	day
Week4	day	day	day	day	day	day	day
Week5	day	day	day	day	day	day	day
Math Week1	day	day	day	day	day	day	day
Week2	day	day	day	day	day	day	day
Week3	day	day	day	day	day	day	day
Week4	day	day	day	day	day	day	day
Week5	day	day	day	day	day	day	day

Language Arts: “Grammar Workbook”, vocabulary list, “Poem” (author), “book title” (author), “book title- teacher resource” (author). Free Reading: (list of student picks)

Mathematics: “Math Workbook”, tanagram puzzle, Yahtzee (game), community transactions (bank, shopping), “Website” (online skill games, math practice)

(The above sample did not quite transfer properly, but I hope it makes some sense.)

I use all seven days of the week, as learning can happen at any time. Maryland requires 180 school days per year, so I mark down on a separate chart any date- just the date- where there were 3 or more subjects taught or a field trip until my daughter has reached the 180 days for the year. We still do school beyond those 180 days; I just don't officially record them as school days.

In each subject area, I mark down either "no lesson" or a brief description of the learning that took place on each day of the month. I may mark down a specific lesson number: #42 (86%) in the Language Arts rows would mean Climbing to Good English Lesson #42, and she earned an 86%. I might use page numbers instead: 256-257 (92%) in the Math rows would indicate Sylvan workbook pages 256-257, and she earned 92%; or E 34, G 62 in the Science would mean we used those pages in the Essentials and Giant workbooks. I also use a chapter or a subject, such as Ch 30 (India) to indicate Chapter 30 of Story of the World (Social Studies section) or landscapes, van Gogh under Art. If she has a class, I will describe the class: co-op, or voice, or soccer. I may list sharks in Science, and in the resource list note the name of the TV program and channel or the book she read. Because I am aware someone else looking at my notes may not know what it means, I use the resource list to note the texts, programs, classes, and websites referenced.

I include Socialization as my final subject area, though only to demonstrate that my daughter has a wide variety of interactions with peers and in the community, as well as with family. I will note down friends, Church, classes, events, organizations, appointments, visits, special family time (e.g. game night), and any other happening that counts as a social interaction. This is not a legal requirement. Because of my custody situation, however, and I know many other homeschoolers face similar scrutiny in family court, I chose to include this section in my record-keeping to demonstrate the varied and consistent interactions my daughter has with peers and adults. When academics cannot be targetted, critics often try to say homeschooling is harmful socially. The falacy of "isolation" is one I am more than willing to demonstrate!

I have learned that everyone eventually figures out a system that works for them. Sometimes, it takes experimenting with several options. Sometimes what worked needs adjusted. When I look back at how I initially recorded my daughter's homeschooling I cringe at how difficult it is for me to read, and I am happy with the system I have since come up with. Being able to quickly glance through a subject, without having to read through notes or around other subjects has helped me notice her progress and the concentration of topics. If I need more detail, I can use the brief note on this planner to go directly to the actual lesson done, and since I save her finished work in subject order by the month, it is easy to find. I also hope it has made it easier for others, both for reviews and the family situation, to see that my daughter is learning, and socializing.

Pineapple Rice

Last month, my mother-in-law, sent us a wonderful cookbook, Grazing Along the Crooked Road: Recipes and Stories- Past and Present by Skeens and Bondurant. Visiting family in the hills of Virginia is always a welcome respite, especially those Southern breakfasts, lunches, and dinners that go along with the relaxing companionship. It is a pleasure to bring some of the South to our home, both in the recipes and the stories.

My daughter loves trying to cook, and she picked "Pineapple Rice" to try first. The recipe is simple, but I could not imagine adding those ingredients to rice. So, with trepidition on my part, we had Pineapple Rice for dinner one day last week. I, suprisingly, loved it! I did not add all the sugar the recipe calls for, as I did not want a sugar overload, but as sweet as the rice turned out, I still quite enjoyed it. My daughter and husband, both of whom I often think would prefer to live on bowls on sugar with maybe a few extra other foods, both found the rice too sweet! I can't stop giggling. I love the irony of my two sugar-holics disliking a very sweet rice (I will mention that my husband typically adds both sugar and butter to plain rice before he will eat it) while my curry-spicy palate took a liking to a sweetness I don't usually pick.  My recommendation would be either baked chicken or pork chops to go along with this rice.

My Curriculum

(Note: I will be adding more links, once I can get my connection to to stay connected :-)

I often get asked if I use a curriculum that someone else sends me. A "boxed curriculum" is one of the options available to homeschoolers, but it is not a good fit for my daughter. An advantage of learning from home is the ability to customize learning based on the individual child, and on the family. A lot of new homeschoolers will picked a boxed curriculum because the format is easy and automatic, with lessons outlined and explained for both teacher and student. Other homeschoolers might follow a specific philosophy, but not a preformed curriculum. Some might "unschool" (self-learning). Still others, like myself, will choose an "eclectic" approach.

I chose an eclectic curriculum for a variety of reasons, not the least that our family life is fairly eclectic in and of itself, with many interests and a lot of creativity. My daughter, herself, is a very creative individal- often outside of the box. She also has some issues that can make learning difficult, one of which is ADHD (and here.) Since I work, I also had to choose a way to teach that allowed flexibility with scheduling. So my pick-and-choose system started and has grown.

For grammar and writing, I tried "Climbing to Good English" this year. I quite like this text and workbook, and plan to continue with the fourth grade level. I have had to explain some of the more old-fashioned words used, which my daughter was unfamiliar with- pupil, rather than student, for example- but I personally love the focus on proper English and good writing, something I grew up with, but that I found lacking in the public school education my daughter was receiving. For Literature, I use a large variety of classics as well as some more modern child-friendly authors. My daughter has a high reading level, but does not love reading, so I have learned to find samples of good writing that I can use to pique her interest while still exposing her to rich language. She has outright objected to Dickens!

For math, I spent a long while on "real life" math- math that could be done during daily life. Her public school experience left her very anxious about worksheets and formal math- she would literally start hyperventilating. So, while out at the playground, I would have her trace shapes with her scooter and we would add up the "perimeter" with imaginary numbers; I taught her how to use a shopping budget and placed her in charge of makign sure we "stick to our budget" when grocery shopping. We did measuring and fractions while cooking recipes. She learned to do bank transactions, her own shopping transactions, and how to decide what to spend or not spend with her allowance. And we played lots of games that used numbers and logic. We still do those real-life experiences, and more. After several stop-start attempts to go back to worksheets (so I would have something physical to demonstrate her learning) I finally discovered Sylvan workbooks. The Sylvan format seems much less frightening for her, and we are both thrilled when she completes her assignments and gives herself a fist-pump! She is finally reaching her grade-level for math, and has fewer anxiety attacks when worksheets.

Science is very free-form. I have two large "worksheet" books that I use. I also have her explore online learning videos, look up information on specific topics, and we do hands-on experiments. I do pick the main topic, but there is enough leeway to take a side-trip or two. I combine a lot of science topics with the history lessons, which reinforces the history topic and also demonstrates how science is present and usable in daily lives, even from ancient days. She also deals with math while exploring science.

Social Studies takes several directions in our hoemschool. My main text is "Story of the World." We are nearly done with the first book, and this classical curriculum has, by far, been my daughter's favorite. "Story of the World" is mostly chronological, and can be expanded with many other resources- I use the Internet as well as other books and museums. The lessons also fit in with other subject areas- science, as I mentioned above, as well as literature, math, government, religion, art and music. I use the ancient maps to compare with modern maps, and open up discussion sometimes on how the ancient civilizations she is learning play a part in our modern world. I also take side trips into American history and government.

Art and Music are frequent. My daughter loves exploring her creativity. She has always loved music, so she is a member of a vocal and an instrument choir, as well as taking private voice lessons. Planned or unplanned, art projects often end up part of other lessons- a collage or sketch or painting, making a sculpture or bead necklace to learn more about a culture, and so on.

Health may incorporate information on our bodies- a topic, with my background, I regard as science, but the reviewer marked as health. I also cover various safety topics- danger signs, what to do in an emergency, okay versus not okay contact with other people, fire drills, handling peer relationships. Physical education sometimes incorporates health- taking care of your body- but also includes a variety of outdoor and indoor games, sports, dance, and learning about famous events and participants.

I do cover religious education, though that is not a required subject for reviews. Faith is a big part of our lives. We have a terrific Church network, and my daughter attends children's classes. At home, we discuss the Bible and faith practice, and what she learned at Church. We explore how faith works daily in our lives. I do discuss different religions and belief systems, so I classify this as "Religion" and not "Bible study".

Finally, I keep track of her social life. Having been asked often enough "but how does your daughter learn to get along with others?" and other less well-put questions, I feel it is easier to simply glance at her calendar and go "oh, well, this week she's had Church, two classes with other kids, several hours at the PAL center..." For those who believe homeschooling isolates a child, I have learned that my daughter's social circle is massive now compared to the social circle she had while in public school. She interacts with people of all ages, is comfortable knowing who to talk to when in a public situation- bank, store, museum. She has friends who are homeschooled, private schooled, and public schooled (and, yes, she has commented on the differences she sees in how those kids all relate with themselves and adults). She knows several adults she considers safe people- in abuse prevention, it is important for a child to be aware of who they can go talk to if they feel unsafe in a situation or with another person, and while a parent should always be a good choice, a parent may not be the most comfortable initial choice for a child- and has some encouraging adult mentors.

In short, I use a varied approach to homeschooling lessons, and allow flexibility for self-interest. I have leaned toward a more classical approach, with some "unschooling" influences, and some more traditional and "standard" ideas. I try to encourage my daughter's strengths while helping her grow in the areas she has less interest or comprehension. We have found a system that works, for now, and I leave room for adjustments. And so, our adventure continues!

Summary of Our First Year Plus

Wildcats Homeschool has been in progress for one year and two months. We are nearing our third county review, and settling into our routine. I have looked back over the past year at the challenges and adjustments I have made as my daughter and I figure out how to homeschool, how to form a routine that works, and I've had to figure out how to organize and record our days and her progress. We've enjoyed our first homeschool co-op, taken field trips (though not as many as I would have liked), and met some terrific parents and kids. I really look forward to seeing where our homeschool adventure takes us in the next year and beyond.

During this past year, we have endured criticisms and encountered the run-of-the-mill misconceptions as well as some suprising supporters. My decision to pull my daughter out of public school to homeschool led to her noncustodial father challenging my decision in court, but the Master held to the law stating that unless homeschooling was proving to "not work" I legally maintain the right to make educational decisions. I have been pleased that her father has reported being comfortable with her progress so far and he can see through the documentation I provide that she is learning and she is not being harmed. Of course, I meet a lot of people who believe the criticisms of homeschool: no socialization, parents who homeschool must be abusing their kids, a parent can't possibly "teach" without being a certified teacher, etc. I usually step aside and let those nay-sayers observe my very social, mostly well-mannered child talk on and on about some recent topic or other that she has learned. But the biggest suprise for me, which relieved my anxiety over this decision, was the support I have found from so many other non-homeschooling parents, my co-workers (I work at a public school), and strangers in the community we meet. Some of my favorite shows of support came from two city firemen, a birder, and my mother. My mother is a school teacher, and I learned a lot about educators and school watching her prepare for and teach her classes; she taught me to value learning- not "just the facts" but true, deep learning- and I credit her for instilling in me an importance on education as well as a knowledge (from my observations) of the work a teacher does. She has been a big source of encouragement in the past year. Recently, we went for a bird-walk and my daughter initiated a conversation with a birder who was photographing; the two had a detailed conversation about each other's favorite birds, and the lady helped my daughter identify male versus female in a couple species flying around. The birder then looked at me, and congratulated me for giving my daughter the opportunity to really participate in her learning. The firemen were also very excited to talk about homeschool. At first, my daughter was just asking questions and answering fire safety questions, and one asked where she went to school. I found out one had been homeschooled, and the other was dating a woman who was homeschooled.

Coming up, I will give some examples of how I record my daughter's homeschool, as I have had several questions about that topic. I also want to elaborate on some of our favorite lessons and resources. This election year, I also want to note our Presidential and other government homeschoolers.