~Our homeschool these days~

After looking over the last few posts on my blog, one may wonder if my children still get any blog time.  I haven’t meant to leave them out of the blog but it’s just been a little more quiet around here than normal…not in regards to the noise levels but just in the activity. 

You see, I am burned out.  And I don’t want to whine on here but I’m just really burned out.  So I’ve sort of avoided the subject of homeschool on the blog.  I need a break.  So much of a break that I have said the words “return to public school” to my husband these past few days.  (Just keeping it real around here.)

Now I really do love homeschooling and I love the time that I’ve spent with my children.  But it takes a lot out of me. (I don’t want to scare any newer homeschoolers.  I may not be the norm.  I had these same feelings when I left my teaching career eight years ago too.  Honestly, it may just be me so please don’t let me deter you. )

So in an effort to restore our vision for our homeschool and our family, I’ve decided to keep it simple these next few days until we’ve achieved our state-mandated 180 days (Only seven more days and one of those is field day!).  I owe my children an education and I am going to give that to them but we are doing it in a relaxed state.  And for any non-homeschoolers who read this, there is actually a label for “relaxed homeschooling”.  Many other families do this type of home education and turn out very well educated children.  And in an effort to maintain my sanity for the next few days, we are going to do it too.

So after all that wordiness, where are the pictures?

~Our homeschool day yesterday~

We started our morning by doing chores, working in the garden, and playing outside in the sunshine. It is easier to do these things while Baby Boy is awake and do school while he naps in the afternoon.

Everyone must do a math lesson and read everyday.  Flower Girl decided to do her math while she ate lunch.  I was very impressed that she completed much of this with only a little help from me.  She has come a long way from the beginning of the school year.

 

We try to incorporate learning with our activities such as painting or playing outside.   Just tonight, Sunshine Girl came to me with a handful of q-tips and proceeded to make letters and tell me their names. 
As she did this, we discussed their sounds and names of people or animals starting with those letters. Sometimes learning happens in the most unstructured ways.

 ~Stamping and counting~

 

~Stamping and writing sentences using describing words~

 

~”He has big teeth” written about a hippo.~

~The boys also painted but requested no pictures.   (They are getting to that age, you know. :)~

After everyone painted, we headed back outdoors to wash off the paint. 

They created a water park in our backyard.

~She did not get hurt in this picture though it looks like an accident waiting to happen.~

I sat here while I searched through cookbooks and tried to avoid being sprayed with the water.

 

~Little Brother woke up and joined the fun…from a distance.~

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You may wonder about science, social studies, etc.  Well, we have some science kits that we got from Hobby Lobby to work on.  Right now, the boys are making a solar oven.  And I believe the garden is a pretty good science lesson in itself.  Plus tomorrow, we have planned a library trip and my kids always go to the non-fiction books first.  They will come home with stacks of non-fiction books about topics of interest to them. I’m always amazed by that!  As a child, I always wanted to read the fiction books!  We also have a little community service project in the works that involves writing letters and giving to others. 

Right now, our homeschool days look a little bit different but we are happy and we are learning!