Time to get out!

As the weather is breaking we are looking forward to exploring all that Washington DC and the vicinity have to offer.  There is so much to do, and see.  This week we are attending our weekly preschool co-op (2-3 year olds) at Anacostia Library (Tuesday afternoons).   Then on Wednesday morning we will see an African Dance performance by Balafon at the Discovery Theatre.   Maybe a nature walk later in the week.  We’ll post some picks.

Montessori Homeschooling

We really love the Montessori philosophy.  There is a program specifically designed for Homeschoolers at the North American Montessori Center.  Check it out here —->  http://montessori-home-schooling.com/

Time4Learning

I have been trying to figure out the best way for me to give each of the youth a solid core curriculum on their level, still have control over content, and not get burned out in the process.  We’re using Time4Learning.com for the rest of this school year.  The children love it!  They wake up wanting to do their next lesson even before eating breakfast!

It is very child friendly and encourages independence even for my 5 year old. They provide a very nice core course selection (Language Arts, Social Studies, Math, and Science).  We provide Art, PE, Foreign Language, Bible Study, and other extra-curricular classes.

So far so good, and Mommy still has time to work with our toddler.  Ultimately I’d like to have a Montessori homeschool environment, but until then we’ll continue with this plan.  So far so good.

Unexpected Expedited Homeschool Registration

 

In Maryland, homeschooling families must register 15 days before starting homeschool for administrative reasons.  We were thinking that it would take 2 weeks before the public school we are withdrawing from would see that the children are not just truant.

 

I decided to scan and email the forms last night to the homeschool office in PG County, and this morning they scanned and emailed me back my signed docs.

I still have to mail in the originals, but the doc in my hand saves me so much grief! Wow, PG County is stepping up!  I am just happy I don’t have to worry about someone knocking on my door saying the children have been withdrawn from school but are not registered anywhere.

When I homeschooled before I was in Washington DC, before the law changed. At that time you didn’t have to register.  I then moved to Baltimore, MD and they took the entire 15 days when we registered.

So glad to have that off my plate.  Now, we are assessing the children and deciding which method will work best for each child.

Co-Operative Learning

I really love co-ops.  A homeschool co-op can provide a resource for families to have access to lessons, field trips, and workshops with other homeschoolers.  Today I am writing a proposal to a local organization to use space to host Homeschool Co-Op classes.

In the DC Metropolitan area I have found quite a bit of arts education programs and even sports for homeschoolers through the Dept. of Recreation, but not enough academic programming.  In some cases, the ones I found through the Univerisities are not in my budget.  So, my goal is to start doing my own Co-op again, make it cost effective and hopefully attract students from the surrounding Universities to volunteer, as well as other parents who like teaching.

New Year…New Chance!

Its almost 2011.  My older children are in public school and I am counting down the days before they are homeschoolers again.  It’s winter break right now, and I only have a week left to put the plan in order.  They have been in school for 4 months, and I thought I could make it until the end of the school year.  I was wrong.

I have been at this crossroad before, and have had them in public school before.  I rationalized my decision by saying “it is only for this school year while I grow the business and stabilize our income”.  Yet, the reality is our business continues to expand and contract, but my children are continually expanding, growing, and learning from the world around them.

I have to admit, I have been a see-saw.  I am a 100% believer in the power and outcome of  homeschooling.  It is my first choice!  But when our financial picture changed, I have found myself looking at the option of having the children attend school while I worked the business.

I have been self-employed for over 12 years, and married for 9 of them.  My husband has been the primary provider for more than half of our marriage. When we both became self-employed it was a little harder to plan past 90 days.  It continues to be a struggle, but each day that passes I see a day that I could have brought so much sunshine and joy through family learning to my children.

So on my agenda is re-creating a cooperative homeschool environment.  One that supports my family homeschool and others. One that will allow the children to be educated with other homeschooling children.  One that provides full immersion into to all of the core subjects and more.  One that also allows them to learn about entrepreneurship by helping mommy & daddy grow the family business.

Stay tuned….