A new school year

So the plan was to have a few pictures with this post, but our camera card has been acting up.  Will have to post some later.

We have been casually homeschooling Evan through JK and SK, unsure of how long we'd like to do it.  I never pictured myself a homeschooling mom.  But for a variety of reasons, we've decided to continue it for at least another year, and after that, we'll take it year by year.  The main reason being that to send our children to the Christian school would require me going back to work, sending 2-3 children to daycare, which is expensive on it's own.  And I realized that I would be going away from my family for 9 hours a day to teach a classroom full of other people's kids, while someone taught my own.  I have some experience teaching primary/junior grades, I have a good knowledge of the curriculum.  And I love watching our children learn.

Of course, there's always the question of socialization...will the children be able to interact with others, make enough friends, learn how to be independent.  So far, I think our children are already pretty sociable, very comfortable around new people, and quite independent.  They also have eachother to play with - all being less than 2 years apart.  We have also made the effort to include them in church activities, soccer camp, swimming lessons, etc.  There are also a few homeschooling groups in the area that we might become involved with.

The first week of school has gone great!  We start at 8 am, take a few breaks, stop by 10 am. The boys get to play lots, have lunch, some quiet time, and we do another hour or so in the afternoon.  It's amazing how much can be accomplished in a smaller setting versus in the classroom.  Our only obstacle is a rather clingy Isaac, who would rather be held than left to play on his own.  So he just joins in our lessons! 

We noticed the beautiful weather last Thursday, so we worked extra hard, then packed a lunch and spent the rest of the day at the park. Eric has had some time off this week, so we get our work done first thing in the morning, and we have been able to do things together, like going to the corn maze.  The flexibility is great, and the boys love being able to choose what subject to work on next.

We do get a few raised eyebrows sometimes, when people hear that we are homeschooling (I think I've probably raised my own eyebrows in the past) but I think it's going to be a great year!