So, how are we doing?

Our local school district just completed the 1st 9 weeks of school and report cards are going home very soon. So I thought I would take a moment to assess our progress here at our own little school. Not so much from a grade perspective but more from of a 'what's working and what's not view'. This is also a good time for me to assess what is missing and what can be shelved. So here goes!!

Our adventure has been pretty non-eventful since my last post. Let me say that I am very thankful for that fact!! It was a rough start to the year and we still have our tough patches but overall, it's flowing pretty well.

In August, I was pretty ambitious with all the things I wanted to accomplish this year. I quickly realized that G and I would need to make some changes pretty early on and put some things on the back burner if we were to survive our second year of homeschooling together. Now, that the proverbial groove is in place, I am planning to add the additional items back to our schedule. Having said that, a quick look at my calendar warns me not to try and add it back until after the Christmas break. AAAAGGGGHHH!! 

Here are our curriculum choices this year:

• Geography/Science/Bible: My Father's World -- Exploring Countries and Cultures 
• Math - Teaching Textbooks
• Grammar - Shurley English
• Spelling - Soaring with Spelling (could have used the spelling component in MFW but G seems to respond to something off topic - plus it is helping him with his reading/sight words)
• Extras: Computer Programming, Robotics, Lego Simple Machines (all these are classes he takes outside the home weekly), Speech/Reading therapy (which we stopped Oct 1) , Awana,
• Bible study: in addition to MFW -- Awana and weekly Bible memorization for Sunday school
• Field trips: We do a couple of trips per month but always move the above work around to make up for the missed day. I find these to be beneficial to both of us and Hubs has even been able to attend a few.

ON hold: (things he asked to learn and we started, but.....) I found both of these to be very stressful on both of us. Not the curriculum itself, just how the components fit into our daily structure. 

• Spanish - Rosetta Stone. We found he needed to me sit with him and really help with the pronunciation portion to get it pronounced correctly so the computer would allow him to go on. He also became frustrated that he couldn't do it alone!
• Cursive handwriting: Handwriting without Tears -- This seemed to frustrate him more than anything as he is not a worksheet/sit down and write a lot kiddo. So, for handwriting (not cursive), I just look at the writing he does with his above work.  

I honestly think that we had so many new things this year that the "on hold" stuff really pushed us on our daily work load. As I look at this too, I realize that we really need to do more "art" stuff. Yes, there is a component in MFW ,but to be honest that too has been put on the back burner. For one thing, G is not your typical kid that likes to color. Never has been, don't think he will be. He is more of a put it together and see how it works kid.  A lot of the problem is due to the fact that I forget to get the needed materials. That may not be an issue so much with the curriculum or the kid but solely points at Yours Truly. Oopsy!! Thinking that we may add an art class that meets weekly or monthly at the beginning of the year. That would solve the lack of preparation problem on my end!!

G would also like to do music. He has never done music other than the weekly visit he had in public school years ago. He thinks he would like to play guitar. To be honest, Hubs and I considered signing him up but then G signed up for FLL Robotics league and that takes a lot of time. The time commitment is very intense, at least in the fall and then it is over early Jan/Feb. We didn't want to add another item to his (or our) schedule that would require daily practice. Plus, FLL is helping him with so many life skills, such as teamwork, how to do research, how to make a presentation, how to formulate ideas and carry them out to a finished product and so much more!! So, at this time I think the trade off is worth it.

As I read back through my post, it think what I hear myself saying is that we may shake it up a little in  January.  But, I also think that since we have established our routine, there are easy ways to put in a few things here and there into our day. After all, the things we want to incorporate are not super structured with a daily requirement. Love that!!  Plus, I see that we may be trading in our Robot for a guitar and/or some modeling clay. Oh well, my car is already programmed to hit the road almost daily with my unsocialized homeschooler!! What is another day and another group dynamic to introduce my kiddo too?? Such is the life of a homeschool family! I wouldn't have it any other way!