G is for Grace

There have been several people lately who have openly questioned my decision to homeschool the kids.  Rather than showing support they point out what I can't provide the kiddos by homeschooling.  They won't socialize with other kids.  Translation:  they won't learn every way to use a swear word in kindergarten.  They won't be exposed to other children.  Translation:  they won't get colds, flu, stomach bugs or lice every week.  I know I can't provide what a large school system can, but I really feel that what I provide will be better, healthier and more in touch with their needs than any public school system ever could.  Granted they won't have group phys ed and learn soccer in first grade, but they will learn to hike and enjoy the outdoors.  They won't learn to raise their hand to ask a question, but they will learn to ask thoughtful and insightful questions, as well as where to find the answers.  They will learn how to take criticism gracefully, without rudeness.  They will learn to control their tempers and be responsible for their own actions.  They will learn to use good judgment, and to not judge others.  And they will learn this because I will instill it in them each and every day. 

I know there will be some holes in their educational experience, but I will supplement this with dance classes and library programs.  We will take advantage of programs that cater to homeschooling families and we will go on lots of field trips.  We will form hypotheses and do experiments, and we will do it in a way that strengthens the kids' love of learning and keeps them challenged.  I know a public school could not do this.  I see everyday the impact this decision has on our lives, and on their intellect.  Rich and I never doubt our decision, and openly, but kindly tell the naysayers so.

So letter G.  We read Goldilocks and the Three Bears again.  We also read about the giant in Jack and the Beanstalk.  Later in the day I had the kids retell me the stories.  We talked about the G words in them too, but we really worked on detail recall from the stories.  I was totally amazed how well they were able to tell me the stories, in the right order, with lots of detail recall.  They totally amaze me every day.  CJ even remembered all of Fe Fi Fo Fum, I smell the blood of an Englishman!  They even retold it to their Daddy after Goodnight Moon tonight!

They came up with so many words for their G letter poster and found lots of items in the house with the letter G.  They did not want to try writing the letter though, not even in the carpet.  They were a little Grouchy!  We stuck to the ever present routine, letter quilt, carpet writing, letter of the day poster.  They did fine with that routine, but were a little off for every other project.  Though CJ is building an alphabet with his blocks every day.  He finds all the letters we have done so far, adding each day, and puts them on the floor or hutch so that we can see all our letters every day.  Unfortunately there are only 24 of the blocks he is using, so I don't know how he will react when we get to Y!

When Eliza got up from her nap she told me she was grumpy, and she needed to color a rainbow to make her happy again.  So after she did this (CJ was still napping) we took a new workbook, and I showed her where I wrote her name.  She recognized CJ's name on his book, and I repeated the spelling of her name so she would always know which book was hers.  We practiced tracing some straight lines.  I had her stand right in front of the table, and I sat behind her, and I held her hand like a pencil.  I assisted her in the first few attempts, supported her hand for a few more, and then let her try on her own.  She enjoyed the activity.  I stopped after just a few rows, and wrote on the page the date, and that I assisted.  Tomorrow we will try to finish the page.  When CJ awoke I did the same for him.  However, CJ was very frustrated after just two attempts, because he didn't want me to hold his hand.  We stopped so I could explain why I had to hold his hand, and he seemed to improve the attitude, but still wasn't ready to do much more.  I told him we would do it again tomorrow morning.  I really need to get him to feel comfortable enough to try.  Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

So we talked about German words like gesundheit, gutenmorgen, gutentag and gutenacht.  We also talked about how G makes two sounds, /j/ like in giraffe and /g/ like in gorilla.  We played games all day and listened to the G sounds on various toys.  They are getting really good at identifying letter sounds in the words they hear.  When they went to bed they were getting excited about H day tomorrow.  For food today we had grapes and gingerbread for breakfast, Greek salad (and soup) for lunch, and galumpkies for dinner.  Galumpkies is the Polish word for stuffed cabbage with kielbasa.  One of the kids' favorites, they ate a ton.  They were drooling all day knowing that the galumpkies were in the crock pot.  I loved that dinner was practically ready so I had more time to focus on the two of them. 

We talked some science today after we discussed the weather, hot and humid by the way.  We talked about growth, and how seeds grow.  They told me that the magic beans in Jack and the Beanstalk could not grow that fast in our garden (hey another g word Mommy!) because seeds take time to grow into plants.  They need lots of sunlight, water, love and weeding before they grow.  And even after we see plants we have to wait till we get food from them.  I am telling you pretty much verbatim what they told me. 

We also talked about goals today.  I told them that my goal was to get the house clean by the end of the week, and to make jam tomorrow.  I told them that tomorrow we would set a goal for school for each of them.  I want them to think about a goal, and then we will talk about how to achieve it.  I want to build this into our routine, setting and working towards a personal goal.  It might be to pick up toys in their bedrooms every night before bed, or to learn all about a brachiosaurus, but I want them involved in the process.  I also want them to see me setting and working to achieve my own goals.  Education is in a large part, showing by example.  They parrot everything we do, good and bad, so I am trying to give them good habits to imitate. 

Being a homeschooling mom is forcing me to improve myself in many ways.  I am starting to show more grace under pressure than ever before.  My temper is more even, and I am not letting the dirt in the house get the better of me.  I am taking control of my life, and of my kids' education, and there is something amazing in that.  I feel more confident, and more awake than I have in a year.  This is affecting how effectively I teach CJ and Eliza, and how efficient I am in finishing projects and housework.  I just feel like I have been able to get more done, and to not worry when little things go wrong.  I giggle a lot more.  I grieve less.  I give in to the temptation to dance and sing around the house.  I gallop like a horse for the kids, and I give compliments more freely.  To quote Eliza, "Goodie, goodie, goodie."  And to quote CJ, "Welcome to my life, it is a Great one!"