It's that time of year again at the Lane Institute of Learning to start planning the next school year. I love that I get to home school my children. I'm so gratefull that I live in a country that gives me the freedom to home school.
One big reason why I love home school is that I get to learn right along with my children. It is so much fun to watch them learn how to read, do math, learn about our history, and do science experiments. I also love the flexibility it gives us. We are free to home school around my husband's schedule. If my husband is off on a Monday, we don't home school that day. If my husband is working a weekend, we home school through the weekend. The absolute best part of homeschooling is that we can school in our pajamas!
I begin my school year in July and end in the early spring. We like this schedule because we red heads do not enjoy hot summer months. It also allows me to get through the curriculum before the end of the year exams. Homeschooled kids in West Virginia either has to take an exam or do a portfolio. We choose to do the exam.
I get asked a lot, "How do you make up your lesson plans and how do you know what to teach?" A good friend introduced me to Sonlight a couple of years ago. Sonlight is a Christian based curriculum that has lesson plans all laid out for the entire school year. It comes with a 3 ring binder and it is broken down into 37 weeks. I go to the week I'm on, look at the day and see what work we have to do for that day. Sonlight will send you all the books you will need, math manipulatives, and science experiment kits.
Next fall we will be trying something new, we have a joined a home school group called Classical Conversation. My kids will be with other home schooled kids in a classroom like setting once a week. They will be able to learn Latin, have art class, music class, gym class, go on field trips, listen to guest speakers, etc. It is also a great support system for the parents. It is sooo important to have a support group!
What can I say, I'm super duper excited for the next school year!!!
