Field Trip to the Apple Orchard

We took a break from school today and traveled to a nearby apple orchard. The children had a blast! Henrietta Creek Apple Orchard does a wonderful job with educating children (and parents) on all things apple, including different types of insects that hurt and harm the crops, they spent a lot of time discussing the importance of bees. They also talked about how apple jelly and cider is made. And because this orchard had several gardens that grew more than just apples, they talked about cotton and how they used to make clothes. They showed the students how cotton was carded and spun with the spinning wheel. The presentation went a lot longer than my children's attention spans but they did a great job.

Starting the year off right!

And... We're off!

We started school about a month ago and have been going strong ever since. The start of this year has gone so much better than last year. First grade has been fun, and we have been doing some pre-k work as well. I am still trying to balance working with different levels, as well as keeping up with housework and all the other things that encompass my life. I have met a few homeschooling moms that have been doing this for a lot longer than me, so I'm hoping to glean some of their godly wisdom. Here are a few pictures of our first day of school- a month overdue but never- the-less.

Saying goodbye to Kindergarten

We officially finished our Kindergarten year at the end of May. We are going to pick back up with a little school next week for a "summer term" then we will take another couple weeks off before officially starting first grade. I am going to be working on a preschool curriculum for our son this year as well as trying to incorporate more toddler activities, this will keep me pretty busy for the next couple weeks.

I'm sharing pictures of our end of the year party. We didn't participate in any homeschool groups this year so we were not able to benefit from any of the Kindergarten graduations or parties. We let our daughter have a couple friends over for a sleepover. They all had a great time with water games, crafts and a movie.

Homeschool T.V.

My new favorite homeschool resource is the homeschool T.V. channel. If you haven't had a chance to check it out or if you have never heard of it before- you are missing out. It is chock full of great relevant programs that encourage you in your christian walk as well as your homeschool experience. There is a daily schedule of shows that is listed by the week so you can plan ahead what you want to watch. I have become quite addicted to it. It's as good as going to conference.

Wrapping it up

We are finishing up the year here, in fact this Friday we will officially call Kindergarten done!
When we started this journey I wasn't sure what this year would look like for us, I was filled with fear, anticipation, and excitement. I had all these opinions of what our kindergarten year was suppose to be and because of that I placed unneeded expectations and pressures on myself. It wasn't until I got about halfway through the year that I finally relaxed and realized that our homeschooling isn't suppose to be modeled after the public school system, if that is what I wanted to begin with, public school is where I would have put her. When I released myself from those notions I began to really enjoy teaching. Of course we have had our ups and downs but I have a different outlook and purpose for our homeschooling now. I am excited for what the rest of our years will look like.

Keeping her busy

If I let her, this little cutie will monopolize all of my time. She is very strong willed and very persistent. She is in a book phase, which is wonderful as long as you have time to read her 80 books a day! Honestly we sometimes run and hide when we see her walking toward her book basket. This simple activity however has given me a much needed break, I am able to get housework, schoolwork, dinner and anything else done when she is sitting in her highchair with a little bit of rice and some spoons and cups. I try to change it up every now and then with different containers to pour into and out of. The first time I did this, she did try to eat the rice, but she quickly found out it wasn't worth trying.

Unfair stress

Here in the state of Texas we have the TAKS test that our public school children have to take. All year it stays on the minds of students, teachers and parents alike. My BFF is a fifth grade teacher and it is a constant stresser for her throughout the year to make sure she has taught and prepared each of her students to be successful at this test. This week the scores were returned to the students and she was sharing with me what an emotional rollercoaster the day was. She said there was so much crying out of relief and dissapointment. Her fifth grade students were so stressed about this test that several of those that passed cried as hard as those that did not. I hate that our government would place so much undue pressure on these babies to pass a test that may or may not indicate their educational level. It was yet another reminder as to why we do what we do. I believe in the accountability as well as evaluating students work, but there has to be a better way.