I've decided to take on the challenge of homeschooling... again.
My living room has been transformed into a preschool! I have extra kids coming and going. I stay up late each night working on lesson plans and preparing the next day's projects. I only have a couple hours in the day to accomplish any housework that needs to be done. My dishes are stacking up. My carpet needs vacuumed. My bathroom needs scrubbed. The kids' room... take a wild guess what THAT looks like! But my 3, almost 4, year old daughter is learning. Every day I think to myself, "Is this worth it? Maybe I should just pay the $160 each month to put her in a real preschool." But then I remember the reasons why I decided to do this. 1. My daughter is hard of hearing, and being in a large classroom with the teacher talking from the front of the class, she will miss out on a lot of things being said. 2. My daughter works better one-on-one. 3. Only I know how to handle her random outbursts, what calms her down, and how to address it. 4. Preschool is expensive. 5. I like spending more time with her. 6. Preschool is expensive. 7. I want her to learn sign language so she can communicate better with me. 8. I want her to learn from a Christian perspective by not glorifying Halloween, but learning the true story behind Christian holidays when they approach. 9. She likes to snack a lot during the day, and our flexible schedule will allow for that. 10. Preschool is expensive!
So, as you can see, I have many reason for choosing to homeschool my child. I tried this with my oldest because I couldn't afford preschool. At the time, our living arrangements made it difficult, but I had the materials I needed to make it possible. By the time she had her kindergarten screening, she was at a 1st-2nd grade reading level! I remember the teacher telling me, "I don't know what you've been doing, but whatever it is, keep doing it!". Now, keep in mind, every child is different. Some catch on easily, while for others it may take more time and effort. This is why homeschooling is great! You can teach at the child's pace! In a regular school, the teacher moves on to the next lesson whether every child is caught up or not, thus letting some kids fall behind and making the rest of their entire schooling experience difficult for them. No parent wants that for their child. They want them to do their best and succeed! So when I realized my 3 year old was going to be a little more work than my oldest, I decided homeschooling would be the best option for her.
My living room has been transformed into a preschool! I have extra kids coming and going. I stay up late each night working on lesson plans and preparing the next day's projects. I only have a couple hours in the day to accomplish any housework that needs to be done. My dishes are stacking up. My carpet needs vacuumed. My bathroom needs scrubbed. The kids' room... take a wild guess what THAT looks like! But my 3, almost 4, year old daughter is learning. Every day I think to myself, "Is this worth it? Maybe I should just pay the $160 each month to put her in a real preschool." But then I remember the reasons why I decided to do this. 1. My daughter is hard of hearing, and being in a large classroom with the teacher talking from the front of the class, she will miss out on a lot of things being said. 2. My daughter works better one-on-one. 3. Only I know how to handle her random outbursts, what calms her down, and how to address it. 4. Preschool is expensive. 5. I like spending more time with her. 6. Preschool is expensive. 7. I want her to learn sign language so she can communicate better with me. 8. I want her to learn from a Christian perspective by not glorifying Halloween, but learning the true story behind Christian holidays when they approach. 9. She likes to snack a lot during the day, and our flexible schedule will allow for that. 10. Preschool is expensive!
So, as you can see, I have many reason for choosing to homeschool my child. I tried this with my oldest because I couldn't afford preschool. At the time, our living arrangements made it difficult, but I had the materials I needed to make it possible. By the time she had her kindergarten screening, she was at a 1st-2nd grade reading level! I remember the teacher telling me, "I don't know what you've been doing, but whatever it is, keep doing it!". Now, keep in mind, every child is different. Some catch on easily, while for others it may take more time and effort. This is why homeschooling is great! You can teach at the child's pace! In a regular school, the teacher moves on to the next lesson whether every child is caught up or not, thus letting some kids fall behind and making the rest of their entire schooling experience difficult for them. No parent wants that for their child. They want them to do their best and succeed! So when I realized my 3 year old was going to be a little more work than my oldest, I decided homeschooling would be the best option for her.
I still had all the learning materials I used with my oldest, thankfully. I spent hours searching homeschooling websites and preschool websites, and was able to use ideas I liked from each one to create my own curriculum and lesson plans. I don't have it all typed up yet, but when I do, I will be happy to share it with you all!
So far, preschool has been going great! We've even had a few friends come to visit and sit in during a lesson. We've made it to letter D, number 4, and have learned about Cows, Jungles, Cats, feelings, and The 5 Senses... also in sign language! My daughter is starting to use the sign language she has learned everywhere we go!
I will keep you updated on our progress, and I will definitely let you know when I have our curriculum and lesson plans available for download! Please feel free to share your homeschooling experience with me! I'd love to hear from other moms/dads who also homeschool!
Written by Amanda DeWain
So far, preschool has been going great! We've even had a few friends come to visit and sit in during a lesson. We've made it to letter D, number 4, and have learned about Cows, Jungles, Cats, feelings, and The 5 Senses... also in sign language! My daughter is starting to use the sign language she has learned everywhere we go!
I will keep you updated on our progress, and I will definitely let you know when I have our curriculum and lesson plans available for download! Please feel free to share your homeschooling experience with me! I'd love to hear from other moms/dads who also homeschool!
Written by Amanda DeWain