Getting ready to start back to school is just as much a big deal to homeschoolers as it is to those in public school. As I began working on ideas for this school year to try to develop ideas to keep the boys engaged and focused I went looking for a good online source for ideas. What I found was so much more :)
The Homeschool Lounge is a community of Christian homeschoolers from all over the country who use different curriculum, styles, and activities to help teach their children and share them with others. It was so nice to see families of 7, 8, or even 9 kids homeschooling. Sometimes you can start to feel like a bit of an oddity when you have 7 kids and you homeschool them and the general reaction to your families choice is "are you crazy!?" Talking to other moms I have already come up with some great ideas for the boys for this year. We are still using ACE curriculum this year, which seems to work great for the boys. Elijah has a hard time focusing so I am gonna use the 15 minute slot idea with him as to not overload him and see if that helps. Also we are going to do math out loud and he will have thinking putty to keep his hands occupied and just push though reading. After talking to Dr. Adams and several homeschooling moms who had the same problem with their sons, I am not even gonna struggle with his hand writing until he is older. As long has he understands basic concepts in his mind and can do them, learning to put it on paper will come later. This is one reason I homeschool because Elijah might be lost in the shuffle in public school when all he needs is a bit more attention and patience. Soren, John Paul and Salem all enjoy school and show strengths in different areas. Soren is 9 and reads at a 7th grade level. John Paul is a grade and a half ahead in math and Salem is 5 doing 1st grade math. That is why I like ACE because I can move them ahead in their strong areas while keeping pace in their other subjects and it does not throw all their work off. I am so thankful to have the opportunity to homeschool my children. Being a mother is the most important ministry the Lord Jesus has ever given me and training up these children in the way they should go is a huge responsibility. If you would pray for me that I would be a good teacher to my children and be able to address their strengths and weaknesses as need be.
