Land of Lovings: Jumping in

Saturday, May 31, 2008

Jumping in

It's less than 2 months until we officially start the homeschool journey with Kai. We'll be doing some preschool/kindergarten with her to see how things go. This is our test year. Our year to see if I am able to pull this off.

We chose this age 'cause we decided if it didn't work out, at least she wouldn't be behind the other kids her age. But, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a bit nervous to try this.

Still, I think it will be an exciting adventure for Kai, me, and the rest of the family.

My biggest fear is socialization. Or rather, lack thereof. I tend to be a bit on the introverted side in real life (the internet gives me amazing courage) so my biggest worry is that my tendency to withdraw in social settings will ultimately affect Kai in a negative way.

But, I'd love to know, oh blogosphere friends, do those of you homeschooling have any words of wisdom for a fledgling homeschool mom embarking on this journey? And tips for making sure she's educated and sociable??

4 comments:

Anonymous said...: I do not homeschool but id suggest joining a homeschool group and a few extra curricular activities. What a fun journey for you all!; May 31, 2008 at 9:34 PM
Land of Lovings said...: I've joined a couple of homeschool groups and now the trick will be actually showing up for their events. And, I definitely think you're on track with the extra curricular things. I see ballet and girl scouts and art classes in our future!; June 1, 2008 at 12:13 AM
Sheilah said...: I home schooled my 4 children starting when the youngest began kindergarten and the oldest was in 10th grade. They all went on to college; two have bachelor degrees; one has an associate of arts degree; and one is a senior in college.

The first question anyone always asked when the fact that we were home schooling came up, was “what about socialization?” My answer is that socialization is not always a positive thing. What about the negative behaviors that children pick up from one another? When you are with your children as much as you are when home schooling, you are more aware when bad behavior crops up in your child and you can deal with it immediately before it becomes ingrained in them.

When you home school, you have more control over who they socialize with. We always had people over to our house. Sunday School and other church activities provided the majority of our children’s socialization. There were also extracurricular activities such as ball, dance, etc.

It was a great experience for our family, but it is a full time job if it is done right. I had to depend daily on the Lord. These two verses were very helpful:

Proverbs 16:3 (NKJV)
Commit your works to the Lord,
And your thoughts will be established.

1 Thes. 5:24 (NKJV)
He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.

God bless you in your endeavor . . . He has not given us a more enjoyable task (nor a more awesome responsibility) than teaching our children. Have fun!!

Deut. 6:6-9 (NIV)
These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. [7] Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. [8] Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. [9] Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

.; June 3, 2008 at 10:14 AM
girlwithmoxy said...: Google: High Desert Home and read her philosophy of homeschooling and you will feel empowered! Groups are good, support is good, but what's best if finding out what works for you as a family and going with the flow. I think you'll LOVE homescholing if you can find a rhythm and feel confident that it's working!; July 18, 2008 at 9:03 AM