Take that!

People often wonder why on earth I home school. Well, here's just one of the reasons:

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/aug/30/home-schooling-outstanding-results-national-tests/

An average of 45% higher scores in all areas over public schooled kids!? Holy Stromboli. And, unlike public school, parent's race, income, age, or college education had no affect!

This has given me a boost.

Good Ideas Gone Bad

Remember how I had this great idea to do this blog and then forgot all about it? Well, I'll make up for a little something now. Here are some great things I've come across:

How should we teach our children to write? A great article on cursive writing and its importance.

School Kills Creativity. An amazing TED talk about the limitations of public education.

Dumbing Us Down. A harsh, real look at what it is exactly that public schools teach kids.


Family news:
Seven year old daughter has taken on many responsibilities all by herself, without my having to ask or nag. It's miraculous! She does dishes, cleans her room nightly, reads by herself, and cooks two meals a week. She's become so responsible and helpful, and has a kind disposition (most of the time). We completed reading "Anne of Green Gables"! I asked if she wanted to read the next one and she excitedly said yes!

The 5 y.o. boy has also undergone a miraculous change recently, and is become much more diligent and helpful. It's no longer "I don't want to" all of the time, but, "Okay, Mom." What!? Amazing. He's still as energetic as always! We've begun reading "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer", which might be giving him too many trouble making ideas!

Also, baby boy is flipping adorable.


Our learning experiences have been:

-going to a magic show and talking about what an "illusion" is
-week long family gathering in Park City, UT. I was in charge of meal planning, and the kids helped with budget, menu, and responsibility division
- Dad has been letting them DJ with him in the basement, and they've begun grasping 4/4 time and where the beat is
- hikes where we try to find things blue and purple and the talk about the meaning of "rare", talk about the changing colors of leaves, and the yearly schedule of deciduous/evergreen trees

Filling in the Holes

Homeschool. Phew, even just the word can seem overwhelming to a new homeschooler. Before I began, I imagined bookcases full of curriculum, worksheets, posters, tools. I thought of having my kids sitting at a table, working away, with me hovering over them to answer questions or give advice. I wondered what would happen to my laundry and dishes and personal time if I devoted myself to being the school teacher.

Thank heavens I found this site: www.tjed.org and clicked the "Start Here" button. What a relief!

It started me thinking. What is most important for my children to know and understand? What are they good at? What do they enjoy doing? I found a lot of communities for homeschooling across the country, but none in Utah.

Light bulb! Here it is! The group you've been looking for. Twice a month we'll get together and show what we've been doing recently, play some games, do a service project, and just have fun.