Our Math Is Here!

Yay! Okay. This post is going to make some say "WHAT?", it will make others say "I knew it!", and everyone else will likely be a combination of the two. We're homeschooling this year! As in honest-to-goodness Poodle is going to be in Kindergarten homeschooling. And as you can see, the arrival of our math curriculum is exciting for me. Granted, I'm a goofball Math major, but the idea of being able to watch her start to understand numbers and their relationships just gets me all giddy. Maybe you're wondering why we're homeschooling when Poodle isn't "supposed" to be in Kindergarten this year, because of her late birthday. Reasonable question. She turns five just weeks after the cut-off date to enter K5, but she really is ready to start Kindergarten. And she is a little sponge who, quite frankly, gets hyper when she gets bored. So..... after a LOT of prayer and talking with each other, Jmk and I decided to HS "for real" and get her school started. This doesn't mean that we will HS forever and ever, nor does it mean that we won't. It doesn't mean that our schools in this area are lacking, because they are good and filled with with quality teachers and administrators. It means that for this year, we are going to have Kindergarten at home. And if it goes well, we may just have First grade at home. And if that goes well...... you get the point. This is their education we're talking about. This is important, and what goes in to the children's heads is as critical as what goes into their hearts. So we take this very seriously and intend to evaluate our situation every year to make sure that they are getting the proper soul food and brain food.  

While homeschooling is growing in both acceptance and understanding, I think the biggest concern most people still have is covered by the umbrella term of "socialization". This means different things to different people, and trying to allay all concerns at once would take a post that is much longer than I have time to type or anyone else has time to read. But rest assured, Poodle will have plenty of friends and will have ample opportunity to experience "playground politics", albeit with the guidance of adults to facilitate when possible. We aren't going to become anti-regular school, because the kids may enter regular school when they're older. We don't know where the Lord will lead our educational journey. There are many good things that come with regular school, be it public, private, or church/religious. We are just choosing to go this HS route for now, and see where it leads us. It's a huge commitment as well as a change in lifestyle. But, with all the responsibility comes a freedom that I hope will prove to be edifying. Sort of like with our country. The more responsibility we take as citizens, the more freedom we will enjoy.  

For my HS friends out there, this is what we'll use this year for curriculum:  
Five In A Row for Language Arts, Social Studies, History, Art.  
Math-U-See for Spanish. (ha! kidding. It's really for Russian Civics).  
Apologia for Science, but I'm still trying to figure out how much "real" science is necessary at this age. Still trying to decide whether to begin with Astronomy or Botany or Zoology.  
Music is easy - music is everywhere! 

What I'm still trying to make a decision on is something to help me with Bible Study. I'm leaning towards Rod and Staff or Sonlight, and just need to make a decision. I need to narrow down my phonics choices. And I need to find one good idea book for crafts and fun things like that. This IS Kindergarten, and Coloring Inside The Lines and Gluing Buttons To Various Inanimate Objects are very important subjects. I, however, am not the crafty type, and will need some creative assistance. I'll channel Ashley Hemleben (a family friend who is one of those Kindergarten teachers that everyone wants their child to get as a teacher) as much as possible, but let's face it. I'll need help. Any and all advice and suggestions are welcome. I really just need to spend an afternoon at some book stores. 

We'll stay involved with our homeschool group(s) for field trips and fun times and will mostly make "school" a part of every day life. I'm trying to be as non-naive as possible about the challenge that it's going to be. The advice that I continue to hear over and over is  
1) Pray often and every day.  
2) Don't push too hard.  
3) Don't underestimate abilities.  

We'll get started officially just after Labor Day. But I suspect that we'll actually be getting started before summer is out. New things are fun, and this will all be very new to each of us! Your prayers are so very much appreciated, and if anyone has any questions or concerns, I'm here. And I'm ready to discuss! (And thank you so much to everyone who helped us in making this decision - your guidance, thoughts, prayers, and advice were all much appreciated!)