Just Keepin' It Real...

Today we did our first Lapbook! PandaGirl is very much into HORSES and has been since she was three. She rides her stick horse EVERYday. Her 5 year old birthday party was an adorable horse theme by her choice. I thought it would be great to do our first lapbook of something that she was totally jazzed about! Here's what we did:

~We cuddled on the couch to read fiction and non-fiction books about horses. PG learned lots and already has some good vocabulary about horses, riding, farms, cowboys and such. Very pleased.

~I got the great idea to use the horseshoe cake pan which I got for her birthday party and make a CAKE! Yum! We only had strawberry cake mix and had to make do, but it was a fabulous touch to the horse theme.

~PG colored pictures of horses, cut out "grass", used the gluestick, stamped the letters for the front of the lapbook and really was hands-on in the whole process.

~We finished our first Lapbook and are very proud.

~After eating the yummy cake and finishing our project we watched Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron to end out a glorious learning experience.

Stop the bus. That's how I anticipated the "learning experience" to play out.

Nuh-uh. No-way. No-how.

Wanna hear how it REALLY went down?

Me: "Hey PG! I am so excited to do our first lapbook! Let's do it about horses!"
PG: "OK Mommy! What are we going to do?"

Me: "Let's read these great books about horses and see what we find out."
Cuddling on couch did happen.
Reading book.
Pointing out facts.
PG already knew some facts. Awesome.

Me: "Let's go get started on our lapbook!"
PG: "What are these cute horses?" as she is already coloring the pictures. OK, she's excited and ready to jump in.
Me: "Hey let's wait a minute. I have some stuff to show you before we start." hmph, can she not wait for me?
I show her all the items we have to make the book.
PG: "I have glue!" runs to get it. "Are we gonna have cake?"
Back at table.
PG: "I have scissors!" runs, again, to get them. "Are we gonna have some cake now? (cake is still in the oven)
Finishes coloring horses, cuts them out without direction (good, I guess?...what if they were not to be cut?) and starts on barn. Is coloring beautifully.

Me: thinking---Oh this is going so WELL! I love homeschooling!
PG: color, color..."Are we having the cake?" "UGH!!! I got out of the line!!!!!!!!!!!!! Everyone will laugh at me!!!" huff, huff. Hand on head, slouching, eyes rolling back in head. huff.
Me: "Oh honey, it's OK that you got out of the lines a bit. You can hardly even notice it. Just keep on doing a good job and finish the barn."
PG: meltdown #2
Me: "Look, who cares what someone else thinks about your work. It only matters what you think. Just keep coloring so we can keep making our wonderful lapbook...sweetie."
PG: meltdown #3
Me: "Your work does not have to be perfect. I mess up on my scrapbook pages all the time. It's OK. I am disappointed, but I move on. Your barn looks great. It doesn't have to be perfect."

PG: huff, huff, puff, growl, scribble, scribble, growl.
Me: hot face, clenched teeth..."WHY did you do that?! There is absolutely NO reason for you to act ugly and mess up your barn JUST because you got out of the lines a LITTLE BIT!!!! WHY did you DO that?! If you want me to teach you at home then you can't fight me! Get down from the table and go sit on your bed." HUFFFFFFF!

Me: Head in hands.

Me: Talk to PandaPop who is also a perfectionist when it comes to pen and paper. It MUST be perfect. Me? I don't care. I do what I do and if there's a mistake...so what? I fix it if I can and then MOVE ON. I don't really comprehend perfectionism. This is going to be a challenge. He told me that her outburst wasn't toward me personally, but her frustration in not coloring the barn to her own liking.

OK

I go into her room and lovingly tell her that she was not in trouble for not doing her barn "right", but for the ugly attitude.

PG: "Are we having cake now?"
Me: "Yes, darling as soon as it cools off. Let's put a couple of more finishing touches on the lapbook, eat some cake and then watch Spirit."
PG: "Yayyy!"

Done with book. PG licking her plate of cake frosting. I put in Spirit.

PG: "I don't wanna watch this. Can I watch something else?"

Good grief.

Why We Homeschool

Homeschooling is no small decision. We know we are commanded by God's Word to raise our children in the knowledge of Him. Who knows our daughter better than us? Deuteronomy 6:7 says this, "Impress them [His commandments] on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."

Learning is way of life.

1. CHOICE---We have purposefully chosen to educate our daughter "at home" rather than in a public school setting. I put "at home" in quotes, because the road ahead will have us at home only part of the time. The adventures which await outside our walls are entriguing and inviting at the least! The choice to homeschool is likened unto comparing Apples and Oranges. You know the old cliche. It's true, however. Trying to compare the different types of schooling is futile. There are a myriad of opinions. Just like you cannot compare an apple to an orange, schooling types cannot be compared. Simply different choices. Praise God that we live in a country with the freedom to choose.

2. LEARNING AS A LIFESTYLE---Living out what we say we believe. Experiencing life to the fullest. Not being confined to one room or building all day being forced to do worksheets. Being in the community. Calculating in the grocery store. Getting along with those other than just peers. Museums. Road trips. Enjoying God's creation by playing outside...during the day. Digging in the mud. Washing the dogs. Cooking brownies. Painting a masterpiece. Reading classic books. Seeing Mom & Dad as lifestyle learners. Seeing God's hand throughout history. Real life. Moment by moment.

3. EDUCATIONAL STYLE---We have the glorious opportunity to teach in tried and true learning styles which have proven effective throughout centuries as well as adding in modern day technology along with lots of fun. Though Kindergarten will be filled with lots of reading, playing, counting, playing, reading, playing and reading and reading...wink...we hope to move in the direction of Classical Christian Education for First Grade on up. Right now we will proceed with FIARand lots of Lapbooking. We also like the relaxed style of Charlotte Mason. These are such fun ways for PandaGirl to learn and not even realize she is learning something!

4. INDIVIDUAL INSTRUCTION---No two people learn the same way. In a classroom full of 20-30 children how can each child have their academic needs met? Kudos to those teachers who give their best. We need them! PandaGirl's personality is one that would buck the system if she didn't like what was going on and/or just give up because she didn't get "it" right the first time. In a classroom filled with kids she would more than likely be left behind. Homeschooling allows us to meet her academic needs and help her engage in the learning process rather than simply giving up in frustration.

5. SOCIALIZATION---The biggie that is most talked about. I think there is something good to be said about a child being in a classroom setting with their peers learning about different personalities and the way people work (or don't work) with others. There is also something to be said about our child's foundational years being built upon the social network of other children whose families do not uphold the same values as ours. True socialization is when someone is integrated with people of all ages and through various events and experiences. Learning to communicate and work well with people in general is ideal. As adults, how often are we in a setting of a group of people our exact same age? I can't think of any. Not even college. Our society is one in which people of all ages, races, backgrounds, religions, etc. all come together. How awesome it is to expose our daughter to many types of people throughout her day as opposed to being in a room with just her age group. I cannot leave out the reality of how young children are when they are exposed to sexual issues (even through certain toys). Is there anything wrong with wanting to prolong a child's innocence? I think not. It is our job a parents to protect our children. Not over-protect to their detriment, but to at least, let them enjoy being a child for as long as possible. Satan would love nothing more than to latch on to our children. He has a plan for them and it is NOT for their good. God has a plan, too. It is mine and PandaPop's job to lead her in that direction. There is lots of fun instore for her. PandaGirl will have the opportunity to be in Ballet, an Art School, Bible Study, Awana, Choir, Missions, Library and to make sure she does have time to play with her peers, we have a playgroup of other homeschoolers. Socialization is not an issue.

6. FLEXIBILITY---For our family, this is huge. With PandaPop being in ministry with the potential to travel as well as having no family in close proximity we are delighted to know that we can up and leave at a moment's notice without disrupting PG's school schedule. We can come and go as we please, take "school" with us, go on vacation at anytime of year, have many field trips, have a picnic lunch together...the list is long of what we are free to do with our time. Within this area I also am grateful for NO HOMEWORK! I feel so sorry for the many parents who complain of having no time for family, always feeling rushed and harried, not having a clue about their child's assignments, not having the ability to help their child and live a life full of busyness. I am grateful to not have to mess with the tedious task of homework.

7. CONTROL---Our daughter will have some control over what things she wants to learn. Of course, she will have to learn math facts, correct grammar and how to read, but she can also hold dear those things in which she takes great interest. How sad to find something interesting in school only to have the teacher tell you that you can't keep going because "it's time to move on to the next subject". When PandaGirl happens on something of interest we can explore it more deeply for the love of learning. We also have CONTROL over what she is taught. We don't want her isolated and taught only what we think best, but we certainly don't have to relinquish control over to a secular school system where the curriculum was chosen by someone who knows nothing of our family and more than likely will have humanistic teachings.

8. FAMILY---Our family is not conventional. We did not come together in the typical manner. We have no idea what is ahead for our family, whether we will be an "only child" family or if the Lord will choose to add to our number. We are a close family and are excited to see our little "team" fashion itself in the likeness of Christ. I am overwhelmed with excitement to be able to watch PandaGirl grow and learn!!! I would hate to miss out on the way she develops academically or even the small things throughout the day when she discovers something for the first time. We missed the first 15 months of her life. We don't want to miss any more.

9. PERSONAL GROWTH---Homeschooling is no small feat. I am sacrificing a part of me to do this. I could very well pursue something on my own, but I am choosing to devote my energies to the education of PandaGirl. Along with this, I will HAVE to learn in order to teach. The personal growth that I will encounter is priceless.

10. DELIGHT---Despite the hard days to come, the disappointments, the commitment...I am looking forward to the joy of learning. I have already seen a desire from PandaGirl to jump into learning. Not by workbooks, but by hands-on experince. She is an all or nothing girl. She wants to EXPERIENCE things, not just hear about them. I hope to delight our daughter in life and along the way she will learn.

There are pros and cons to homeschooling.
We believe the benefits far outweigh the faults.

The Start of Something New

I have been toying back and forth for several years...even before PandaGirl came along...about homeschooling. I would waffle between the pros and cons of public school, private school and homeschool. I was a Speech Therapist in the public schools for over six years. I taught in private Christian schools for three years. I have MANY friends who homeschool. I have seen the good and bad of all three. For awhile I was beginning to think that I wouldn't be able to hs due to PG's strong will and oppostion to everything I tried to show her. After finding out how she learns best, we have finally decided that the best option for our family is to venture into homeschooling.

If you are unfamiliar with this incredible world of learning let me encourage you to research it out before thinking that I have lost my ever-lovin'-mind! LOL! School is NOT like it was when I was there. I have personal issues with "teaching to test" which loses the joy in learning. PandaPop and I also believe very adamantly that this generation of children MUST be taught about our heritage as Believers in Jesus Christ. In fact, PP is starting a new discipleship course this Sunday for the parents of our children at church to show the importance of teaching the Bible in our homes and raising a godly generation of kids who KNOW truth and can defend it.

I have been researching online and through books about the various styles of homeschooling and the overwhelming amount of curriculum available. I think if most parents knew how much there was at their fingertips they might just think about homeschooling for the simple joy of learning along with their kids! I have also joined The Homeschool Lounge which is a fabulous place to spend time learning with other moms in my same boat. They vary as being from Texas, having a Chinese daughter, teaching in a certain style, having an only child, or whatever. It is just exhilarating to connect with like-minded people!!! I have already crossed paths with a few bloggers I already know.

My next post will be The Reason We Homeschool. I hope to shift this blog to one which incorporates all the fun, learning and growing we do as a family with homeschooling as a part of our life as opposed to just cute pics of PandaGirl and the occasional Thursday 13.