Hmmm....did I say that though I was back, I might not be blogging as regularly as I use to?? Well, I guess a few months in-between posts is still better than a year and a half. But I will try to do better!
Here it is February...time is truly going by so fast these days. I know that is an overused statement but even my children think so, too! Which is strange because when I was a child, time seemed to go by at a snail's pace. As soon as Christmas is over, it's Valentine's Day...but that part is alright with me since it means spring is almost here!
I thought I'd take this time to talk about our newest ventures in our homeschooling journey. This is our 6th year and over all, it's going pretty well- especially now that we have added a few new things to our agenda the past few months....
In January, we joined a co-op group that some of you may be familiar with: Classical Conversations.
I have to admit, I had my hesitations...I had previously known very little about the style of learning that they advocate. And what I did know, I wasn't even sure if I fully embraced. Lots of memorization...wasn't that "old school" and not true learning? My style was mostly in the way of "unit study"...delving into a subject (such as the Revolutionary War era) and doing lots of fun things on the subject. But then I found out that we could still continue this type of learning at home if we joined Classical Conversations. In fact, I could pick some of the information that they were memorizing and in fact, do a mini-unit study on that at home if I wanted to! Okay...this was good...
And when we visited the group in the fall, the atmosphere was so fun and well-rounded. My girls were so ready for a part time class\group situation and after praying about it, I knew this was the perfect fit for us. Not only are all three of us learning so much but we are all enjoying getting together with others once a week and making new friends.
On top of this new part of our week, the girls are also each taking a science class geared especially for homeschoolers at a nearby Christian college on another morning a week. This has been another wonderful opportunity to have a touch of classroom experience (and spend time at a real college!) as well as learn more about science- a subject somewhat out of the comfort zone for me.
(Well, at least chemistry is, which is what my 11 year old is taking.) Electrons, neutrons and protons are not nearly as fascinating to me personally as say, the life of Abigail Adams or the route of Oregon Trail. And plus, she gets to wear a lab coat and goggles for experiments- bonus!
Meanwhile, we still have fun learning at home too. And these days, we have the added spice of their three year old nephew whom I watching a few mornings a week. He's actually a very fun and independent little guy, so it's actually been very easy to have him join us.
So, these have been our biggest changes on the school\home front recently...all good!
But now it's time I got off my laptop and do some laundry before it's off to basketball practice for my oldest. (Did I mention both girls are in Upward Basketball right now? A wonderful Christian-based sports organization...but lots of running around with two separate practices and two separate games at two separate places!)
Just like a lot of other families out there, it's a busy season for us. But we're so thankful for so many things- including the energy for this old mommy just to keep up!
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