A New Year of Homeschooling

Here are some shelves full of books and curriculum.

I have been consumed these past weeks with preparing for a new year. I have written lists, reviewed curriculum, and wrote out lesson plans. This is really feeding my perfectionism side...At times it has been stressful but I have to do it. This year I evaluated each child's progress with the curriculum they used. I sat down,wrote a list, and showed it to Brian. We are very satisfied with each child's progress but we will need to work on some areas of their subjects.

Schooling your children is a sacrifice for the parents involved. I don't have time to lounge around, go to the gym everyday, scrapbook, sew, and read books. These are things I would probably do if my children were in public school. My life is not me centered it is family centered now. I want to do what is right for my children. I want to provide them with an above average education. As you know, you don't need a degree to teach your child. As I once told a friend, "Do you have a brain, then you can teach". All you need is love for your child and a love for God's word. (remember this is my opinion)

It does not cost much to homeschool too. I probably spend around $300-$700 a year for all my children. I buy a lot of curriculum used from individuals and Amazon. Yeah!

I have had many struggles this year, since I took over the schooling of our children. Brian schooled them for the past 6 years, he did a great job, and I am so thankful that he had this opportunity. I 've had to adjust my schedule greatly. I juggle running a business, homeschooling, blogging, devotions, chores, sewing, exercising, the constant errands, and cooking. I sometimes feel I am working two full time jobs. Please keep me in your prayers...

Here is a schedule I am striving for:

6:00am I arise, dress, and do devotions

7:00am Breakfast, children dress, and morning chores

9:ooam Start off the school day with bible study with the children

9:30am Math, Phonics, Spelling, Language Arts, Penmanship (children work independently)

10:30am Play Break

11am A time children learn together Science,

History, Geography, and Personal Development

12:30pm Lunch

1:30pm Read Literature, Poetry, Music Study, Art, Foreign

Language, Science Experiments, and Free Time

5:30pm Dinner and Family Time

7:00pm Bath and Family Devotions

8:30pm Bedtime for the Kids

It seems like my school day runs about 5-6 hours. Here are some curriculum changes I am making:

Making Brothers and Sisters Best Friends for personal development

TruthQuest for history
Rosetta Stone and Learnables for foreign language

Spelling Workout & Building Spelling Skills for spelling

Carissa will be using Building Spelling Skills and Nathan will using Spelling Workout.

The Old Schoolhouse magazine is a great resource. You can view the latest copy here.

100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum by Cathy Duffy is another great resource. You can read her reviews on all curriculum online here. I have found that she is right on target with her reviews. She may save you time and a headache. Trust me, I have been there. I refer to this book a lot and she has helped me.

The Moore Foundation is another excellent resource. You can read about the Moore Foundation here.

Simply Charlotte Mason is another go to website that I frequent. You can view it here. I use their planning guide and some subject materials.

Carissa and Nathan have 14 subjects to study this year. Some subjects are studied once or twice a week. Shane will have 10 subjects to study this year. Jarrett is in preschool and Carissa is pretty much teaching him his subjects. Carissa really enjoys teaching him.

Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6