Our 1st 6 Weeks of Homeschool!

Working on our cave paintings while learning about ancient people.

The final result…lots of marker everywhere!

This is what John Ellis does during school…mostly just destroys stuff. =)

Lucas working in his preschool workbook.

Lucas learning shapes, colors, letters and strengthening his hand muscles!

John Ellis celebrates Columbus Day

(he is still loving and wearing this hat everyday!)

Columbus Day Sailors

Science Experiments!  Boys building a mini volcano.

Filling our volcano with soap, baking soda, food coloring and vinegar.

After the eruption!  John Ellis just liked sticking things in the hole.

Family time with Jesus. 

Singing, Bible reading, and Scripture memory.

Making Egyptian collars for our study of Ancient Egypt.

Mommy sang “Walk Like An Egyptian” by The Bangles

way TOO much that week!  =)

Wrapping up Lucas as a mummy.  He wouldn’t break character for anything.

No smiling allowed he said…even for pictures! 

“Because mummies don’t smile, they’re dead!”

More Ancient Egypt

Acting out Moses and Aaron and the plagues.

Daddy was Pharaoh, John Ellis the Israelites, Mommy the Narrator.

Reading is a favorite!

Homeschool Girl

Josiah on 1st day of Kindergarten

I'm pretty sure that all my older siblings remember being homeschooled. As the baby in the family, I would never have known that homeschooling was part of our lives other than seeing pictures of me as a toddler holding a United States flag and hearing stories of our homeschool days. By the time my school days began, my mom was working as a public school teacher and off to school I went, too! I know there are numerous advantages and disadvantages to either schooling option but as a child I had a very positive public school experience. I always assumed my children would be schooled the same way.

Cue the backpacks, lunch boxes, school picture day, field trips, summer break and field day!

Well...I've been learning a new equation lately: Haiti = Homeschool

Six weeks ago, I became a homeschool girl. Sort of. Josiah started his first day of homeschool kindergarten the first monday in September (no labor day for us)! In the midst of prepping for Haiti we got our school year started with the understanding that there will be a break once we actually move and take some time in Haiti to get settled and figure out life.

After the first week, I was pretty sure that I would never shower again. Being a mommy of 3 and pregnant with a 4th is one thing...being an intentional homeschool momma was a whole new ball game. I am happy to report that we are getting in a groove and I do get to shower with some regularity. (Key word: SOME) :)

Josiah is a great student! He is usually attentive, asks great questions and enjoys learning. I am thankful to have a child and student that wants to learn. Our biggest stuggle so far has been dealing with his disappointment. He has been so pumped about Kindergarten and all the new things he was looking forward to learning that he was bummed the 1st week to learn that we wouldn't be learning it all at once. There are worse problems out there! I am thankful.

We are using Sonlight Curriculum (www.Sonlight.com) and really enjoy it! It is a bit pricey but we used it last year with Josiah's preschool and I think it is well worth the investment. Pretty much everything is laid out for me so there is minimal prep time for the basics, which means I get to spend my time coming up with creative extras that will be educational and fun for the boys. The materials they have picked are excellent, too! I enjoy it and am learning just as much as the boys.

Our prayer is that if we ever want our boys to be in either public or private school someday, then they will be able to jump right in with their peers and be right on course. This has always weighed heavy on me as I anticipated schooling the boys overseas. Will I be able to teach them well? How will I manage life in Haiti with 4 little ones under 5 years AND homeschool well?? Now that I am in the midst of homeschooling, I feel peace from God that he is with us in every part of this journey, even in our schooling. We are not in Haiti yet as we had hoped BUT I am thankful that God has given me time to get some homeschooling experience under my belt prior to having to learn an entire new way of life in addition. His timing is perfect and I am learning to trust it.