This IS School

I was gearing up to write out our school plans for this year, when I realized I never got around to summing up last year's school year.  Such is life.  So, here it is.  Better late than never.

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On an unseasonably beautiful day in April, we decided to take advantage of the warm weather and go for a hike with friends.  As we trudged along with our sizable crew, we passed another hiker.  He jokingly asked, "Did you get lost on your way to school?"

I immediately began to launch into an explanation, "We homeschool and we're taking a field trip and..."

My friend Ashley, however, smiled and said simply, "This is school."

I've thought a lot about her statement.  I think she's right.  Part of the beauty of homeschooling is that we have the time and opportunity to expand from basic book learning and be involved in the great world around us.  Exploring with friends makes it even better.

Charlotte & Bryce

Thane and Collin

Graham and Clara

Having good friends who homeschool means I'm much more likely to get out and do fun things, like field trips to the zoo.

Hugs!

In January, I decided I was unsatisfied with the Russell Ridge program, so I pulled Bryce out.  Instead, we got together every Friday with our friends to do science and history projects.  Ashley and I took turns being in charge of these big, weekly projects.  That reduced the burden on us, and our kids love the chance to get together every week.  

Our own Olympic champions

Cyrus the Great puppets

learning about echinoderms

Soap carving (turtle)

Creating a city to be destroyed by a volcano

The after-math

This volcano inspired my kids to make their own volcano in our empty garden.

I especially love the chant they created ("we are robots, mighty and strong, we will work, all day long":

Some of my most favorite parenting moments are when I see my kids getting along, playing happily together, and serving one another.

It wasn't all fun and games.  We got all our book work done as well.  Bryce is an eager and hard-working student.  He rocked first grade!

Thane had his co-op preschool, but he also begged to do work at home as well.  

People often asked how we manage to get school work done with a two-year old running around.  It helped that Graham was just about the easiest toddler on the planet.  Sometimes we'd wait to do sit-down school work while Graham was napping.  Other times, Graham would hop up to the table with us and keep himself happily occupied with his own tasks.  He was especially fond of cutting.

Somehow he got it into his head that this ABC book constituted his school work.  Every day when I sat down with the boys, Graham would run to get his book, carefully look through every page, then finally declare that he was done with his school for the day!

There were many days that he'd sit on my lap and demand that I draw him endless pictures of Elmo.

2014-2015 was a memorable school year!