Dewberry Farm

We had our yearly field trip to Dewberry Farm recently. As usual, we had a wonderful time. Truly, this has to be our favorite field trip for the whole year. There is so much to do and the kids always enjoy every moment of their time while there. The only sad thing is that we have to go home.

One of the first things Violet did was hit a favorite slide.


Then she ran immediately to this new feature at the park. So much fun!


Of course, you can't beat feeding the goats...


We finally got a picture with the three Indian Statue (I only managed to get two in this shot) that greets all the guests at the entrance to the park.


The new zip-line was a huge hit with all of our kids!


I took a unique self-portrait...


Kiddo and I then took a fun little ride together...


Violet went to the jumping pillows and had an amazing time there. Girlfriend caught some serious air!


And then she crashed! Look at that face of hers. There's no way you can't see the pure joy on her beautiful face.

Recovered

Monday is a blur to me. Valentine's Day officially kicked my tail.

Seriously.

The day started abruptly at 5 a.m. when Violet decided to wake up. Bright-eyed and bushy tailed. And I rolled out of bed as blurry-eyed as a drunk on Sunset Bulevard.

Once I loaded up on coffee, like two or three cups of the stuff, I was ready to tackle the day. Somewhat. I ended up drinking even more coffee while at school that day. (Mondays are when our home school group meets.) Mondays always start off early, just not that early, and are always busy. So, it's no surprise that I didn't get to sit down the whole day except for a few minutes at lunch. Otherwise, I was on my feet the whole day.

A busy bee has got nothing on me! Of course, I was on a caffiene high for most of the day. So I had that in my favor. A bee only gets a rush on honey and pollen.
Our Classical Conversations group celebrated Valentine's Day like most everyone else does. We had a little party with tons, and I DO mean TONS, of sugar!!! Woo hoo!!! SUGAR!!!!!!

I had the privilege of working with some amazing women who helped me set up for the party. And, we had twelve moms bring cookies, some made from scratch and some store baked. Either way, it doesn't matter. A cookie is a cookie, right? There were 74 kids on campus that day and we had enough cookies for each kid to have two and for all the parents to have one or two themselves.


One of our very talented moms made the banner that we hung behind the table of treats. Another mom brought the lovely flower arrangements on the table. And another mom brought decorations and balloons. It's impossible to single out every mom who helped out because it truly was a group effort. A group that I am incredibly blessed to be a part of.


After the day program was over, we still had another three hours to get through. Oh. My. Word. I am beyond exhausted at this point and my caffiene high had worn off. But you know, I would do it all over again and again and again! The joy on the kids faces was worth every bit of effort that went in to this party. But my day didn't end there.

Violet has been working so hard on her school work lately. As a reward for good behavior and hard work, Violet earned a trip to Chuck E. Cheese's. So, where do we go for our Valentine's Day dinner? You guessed it! Chuck E. Cheese's!!! Ahh, the things we do for love. Yet again, I'd do it all over again because I got to spend time with my family and we made a very special girl beyond happy.


So, even though it took me three days to recover from Valentine's day, I just want to tell you that I love you guys! I've made some amazing friends through this little blog of mine (you know who you are!) and it wouldn't be right to not pass some love your way. I hope you had a wonderful day!

Joan of Ark

I am incredibly blessed to be able to stay home with my precious little girl and homeschool. Don't get me wrong, there are days that are so hard you end up questioning your sanity at the end of the day. Or midday depending on the circumstances. Are we doing the right thing? I believe the answer is a resounding YES!

Violet is learning some amazing things and accomplishing things that I didn't think were possible at such a young age. She is still behind in her reading skills but every child is different and we're trying not to stress over it. Violet's strongest subjects appear to be math and history. Her memory for dates astounds me!

After a long holiday break we started our school work again last week. Violet and I were both ready for the regular routine and to see our friends in our homeschool group. Let me just say this one thing real fast: I LOVE our homeschool curriculum and group! There is not one person in our group who I would not enjoy sitting down with and talking to. We are so fortunate to be members of such a wonderful group of families. We have the same hopes and dreams for our children that every mother and father have, for our children to receive the best education possible and to succeed in life.

One of the components of our homeschool curriculum is doing a weekly presentation on a given topic. Last week's topic was to present something on their favorite history, science, or geography lessons from the previous twelve weeks. Violet's topic of choice was Joan of Ark (you can learn more about her here). I am so proud of Violet! She had some difficulty with her book and a minor distraction but otherwise nailed it. I thought I'd share last week's presentation with you. Enjoy!

A Great Resource

As a relatively new homeschooling family I am naturally drawn to sites that help support families in their endeavor to educate their children at home. I recently found a new site called My Homeschool World and have to say that I really enjoy it. The site is new so membership is on the low side but I can see that it is growing as word gets out about it.

Having support while homeschooling is a huge thing for families, especially for the parent who is the main educator. It is very easy to get stressed and lonely without the encouragement and support of others. My Homeschool World is a great resource for those. I still recommend being involved in a group that meets in person on a regular basis because a web site is no substitute for the physical meeting of likeminded families. But, this site is a great thing to turn to when you feel like you’re the only one who is having a hard time (or a hard day) with homeschooling.

Even though statistics show that more and more families are choosing to educate at home the mindset of most people is that a public education is the best (or only) education for children. That is why a website like My Homeschool World is a great resource. New homeschooling families, as well as the seasoned ones, can meet online at this site and share information, stories, and encouragement. We all want the best for our children whether we choose to send them to public school or to keep them at home and homeschool. For those who do homeschool, I hope you will go check out My Homeschool World.

Good Lord I'm TIRED!!!

Today (Thursday) was the start of mine and kiddo's three day practicum with Classical Conversations. I was so nervous about meeting these people whom I will be doing school with for the upcoming school year that I had a serious case of butterflies in my stomach. Those darned butterflies thought it would be funny if they woke me up every hour, on the hour!!! When my alarm went off at 5 AM I seriously wanted to throw it across the room. The urge to hear that alarm die after it made impact against the wall was very strong. Very, very strong. Ahh, but I did the adult thing and slapped the SNOOZE button several times.

You may be asking yourselves, "Why would you have to wake up at 5 AM Kimberly?" Well, the answer is quite simple. The practicum is an hour drive from where we live now. An amazing church in the Houston area opened their doors for the Classical Conversations Organization. And without charge! Wow, you just have to love a church that will open their doors for a community of believers to meet in for a reason that is beyond that church's business and services. I wish there were more churches like Sagemont around because we desperately need more like them!

Thank you Sagemont Church for opening your doors to us. And for serving us while we learned how to best utilize our curriculum. May God bless your church in glorious and wondrous ways!

I am enjoying my practicum immensely. Violet is having the time of her life while in her class too. She has already made several new friends. It melted my heart to see how well she got along with the other kids in her group. Hugs were shared by all when it was time for us to leave for the day. And one precious little girl even asked if Violet could come over and spend the night!

This year's theme for Classical Conversations is "Thinking Beyond a Book!" I love that theme. I love books! I love reading! But it's easy to forget that books are actually tools to be used in a home school setting. And, if you aren't careful, books can become a task master. Our mission statement says so much...

We believe in an integrated education that seeks to know God and to make Him known.

How awesome is that?!!!

It's getting late but I want to leave you with one thought that was shared by Amanda Butler, our speaker today. Amanda shared with us this thought...

"Children are souls to be nurtured, not to be measured."

Yet another quote that I absolutely adore! I want to nurture my daughter and teach her in a way that she is excited to learn! I want her to love reading, math, science, history, and so forth. Because a child that is excited to learn is a child that WILL learn!

Random Thoughts

It's amazing what a difference it makes to your family's dynamics when there is an extra kid in your house. Not really a kid but a teenager!!! We have had a precious family member visit us for the past two weeks and there has never been a dull moment since she arrived. And I totally mean that in the best way possible. There has been a level of constant chatter and movement that hasn't been experienced in our home before. Needless to say, it has been quite the experience!


We took RC to Austin over the weekend so that she can spend the week with my sister-in-law's family. Monday was the first day in two weeks that it has just been me and Violet. While Violet was able to fill her day with different things to do the house was eerily quiet. I miss the sweet laughter of shared jokes and activities between the girls. Thankfully, we'll get RC back for a few days before she returns home. That is if I'll let her return home. We've enjoyed having her here so much that I'm thinking of keeping her! Yeah, I know, that'll never work but a girl can dream can't she?!!

The rest of the week is going to be pretty busy and very crazy for Violet and me. We have a three day practicum we're participating in, Thursday through Saturday. Up at the crack of dawn so that we can leave the house, and beat the traffic, just as the sun wakes up for the day. I'm SO not looking forward to that. But I am looking forward to the practicum itself. Violet will be in a day-camp while I am learning how to use the curriculum we'll be involved in for this coming school year.

I am so thankful to be involved with Classical Conversations this year. Violet and I did okay for her Kindergarten year but we really missed being with other people. Homeschooling can be a lonely existence if you're not involved in a group of some sort. We intended to be involved in a group last year but missed the cut off date to join. Lesson learned. The school year hasn't even started for us yet but we're plugged in with the group and are already keeping busy. While I'm not accustomed to all the activities I realize they are an important part of the social settings of school and are greatly needed by not only by the children but the parents as well. The 2010-2011 school year is looking very promising and we're ready to get started!

PROUD!!!

One of the greatest things about home school is that you get to work at your child's pace. If your child is having trouble with a certain task/subject then you can take your time working on it, making sure they fully understand before moving on to something else. On the flip side of that ~ if your kid does particularly well on something then you can move on to the next subject at a faster rate.

Yesterday was a hard day for Violet(and me). She just wasn't grasping what her task was for the day. Today though was a completely different story. Today, we not only worked on yesterday's topic again but she breezed through today's work as well! She was incredibly focused and I am beyond proud of her. We have several pages for her Daddy to look at once he gets home (something we do each day). He makes a fuss over what she's accomplished each day and she beams with pride in his praise. And I must admit, my heart swells with pride in his praise of her work too.

Whew!

Whew, I'm tired. Our home school experience has been a wonderful thing but I sure am worn out by the end of the day. Violet has been doing so well and is one eager beaver when it comes to her schoolwork. Our phonics program works around fine art, which gives the lessons a nice extra touch to them. Today's lesson was centered around The Toreador Fresco from the palace complex, Knossos. (c. 1500 B.C.) (We also cover a bit of history with these lessons.)

[photo courtesy of msn.encarta]

I love being Violet's teacher. Getting to watch my child learn new things is an amazing experience. Sure, she gets frustrated at times. Sure, we can butt heads sometimes. But overall, this has been a wonderful thing and is worth every second of effort it takes to do it. Today Violet told me, "Mommy, I'm glad I get to stay home and you get to teach me." Goodness, my heart melted when she said that!

As far as the loose tooth goes, it's still there but is getting looser with each passing day. I don't expect it to be there by the time the weekend arrives. Violet has seen her Tooth Fairy doll and cannot wait to use it. To say she is excited about losing her first tooth is an understatement. While for me, I keep thinking of her cutting that first tooth and the amazing snaggled-tooth grin she had as a baby.

It's Here!

Our curriculum is finally here. Woo hoo!!! And, oh boy, does it ever look amazing. I'm so giddy right now I can't stand myself. Ha! Seriously though, I am very excited. Everything in our package looks wonderful. I'll be using this weekend to familiarize myself with it all so that I can put it to use on Monday.

This program looks incredibly easy to do and I'm feeling more secure in our decision to home school. Everything seems to be done for you with the Veritas Press Curriculum. The lessons are written out for you. They even give you questions to use for each topic you're covering. There is a great deal of material for me to cover this weekend but I feel pretty confident that Violet and I can do this. She is so eager to learn so I have that on my side. And, I feel like I've got a great curriculum on my side too. Just take a look at the 37 pound package that was delivered to our door yesterday!


And look at all the wonderful stuff that was packed inside...



There are 31 primer books (beginning readers), 9 books on art, 46 (5x8) stunning flashcards (they really are pretty), teacher manuals and student workbooks (for Kindergarten and First grade), and a Child's Story Bible are just some of the things included in this great curriculum. There is also a personalized lesson plan for you to follow. And that's just for the phonics portion!



(I have no idea why this photo is turned to the side since it doesn't show up that way in my photos. I just wanted to show you the lesson plans cd. Like how I edited out our name?)

Genuis!!!

First off, I would like to apologize for the poor quality/lighting of these photos. It's late and I'm using what little time I have to share with you the progress that my precious little girl is making while we home school. We have been having a wonderful time doing school at home. We still haven't gotten our curriculum but that's coming very soon. In the meantime, I've been working with some little workbooks that I picked up. They're decent to work with but I'm ready for something more structured.

I've been working on teaching Violet how to write. This has been more of a challenge than I had anticipated it being. She has difficulty holding the pencil in a way that she can write with. Violet gets frustrated when she doesn't get something right away and I have to give her an extra bit of encouragement which usually does the trick in getting my kiddo to persevere. Here are her first attempts:
We also wove a place mat as part of her craft time. I think this was a lesson on patience for both kiddo and myself but we pressed on and Violet is pleased with the results.

This next page was probably the hardest worksheet Violet's done so far. The letters are all jumbled up and she had to draw a line from a to b to c, all the way through until you reached z. She got confused for a little while but once she figured it out she finished it in no time!


For math yesterday we worked on determining which group had less than the other. Kiddo breezed through that like it was nothing! So far, I think math is her strongest topic.



Then there was Phonics...



Sequencing...


And then finally, Violet's least favorite topic. Writing skills. This is what she'll be working on today. Incredibly enough though, Violet learned to write her first name yesterday! She spelled it perfectly, twice, without any help from me! TWICE!!! And oh my gosh, that kid beamed with pride over what she accomplished!!!



I am absolutely, positively loving home schooling my daughter. To watch her learn something new is incredible. And I can walk her through her frustration when things don't go as smoothly as she would like them to sometimes. But gracious, when something clicks with Violet she takes off with it! After writing her first name a few times yesterday she pointed her pencil in the air and declared, "I am a GENIUS!" I nearly died laughing right there on the spot. Genius? I don't know about that. But she is pretty darned smart!