The Misfit homeschooler: Living in a secular world

We spent yesterday picking up the kids new stuff for the year (we have a couple of things on backorder and the reading program for my daughter with dyslexia will be here on Friday) and of course we are now ALL excited to get started with school! For Science this year lots of physics and Chemistry! We also picked up the Usborne books illustrated dictionary of Chemistry and Physics, plus of course the Encyclopedia of science and What's science all about that we have on hand. For Art we did several things. The girls were both really excited to have the pottery wheel and clay to play with. This is paired with Art classes at a local studio every other week and a few art books we already had on hand. We've taken a bit of a peek in the Artistic pursuits books and those are pretty neat. A little on the expensive side but seem totally worth it. We will know better once we get going in them of course! For History we picked: History pockets level 1 and 2 and while SOTW I...

Well, I'm happy to say that our schoolroom is almost finished. We got hit by a heatwave and having to climb into the attic to put supports for the hammock chairs took longer than we thought as it heats up an extra 10-20 degree's up there compared to the house! We now have 2 up, the support for the framed map is almost complete, our books and supplies for this year arrive tomorrow except for a reading program for my dyslexic kiddo that arrives on Friday. So that means..this weekend I'll be taking all the pictures for the new room and posting them so you can see what we had before and after our big project. While we will have a few little things here and there you will at least get to see the over all room :) and a little entertainment..just so you get a small peek inside our life... So the husband was putting up the 2nd hammock chair for us today. When he brought in the second ladder, he brought a "friend" with him..he walks in and his friend is running right...

Business insider did an article recently on homeschooling. Some of the things that didn't really surprise me are a) their statement that homeschooling has grown 61.8% in the last 10 years (there are now aprox. 2 million homeschoolers in the U.S. ) and the fact that they stated "Contrary to the belief that homeschooling produces anti-social outcasts, the truth is that some of the most high-achieving, well-adjusted students are poring over math problems at their kitchen table, not a desk in a classroom. According to leading pedagogical research, at-home instruction may just be the most relevant, responsible, and effective way to educate children in the 21st century" http://www.businessinsider.com/why-kids-should-get-homeschooled-2016-8 Its a very interesting article to read and gives those of us who are having the momentary doubts, questions and worries that we all seem to get this time of year as everyone starts sending their kids back to public school som...

If your like me your always looking for something new to try out on occasion, and well..secular blogs are often hard to find. Luckily I have one that I'm following because I have 2 kids that might find this idea very interesting for them! http://www.travelingkids.com/roleschooling-concept/ I'm going to have to try some fun roleschooling idea's this year :)

Yes, it's been a little while. but it's been super busy here! It started with the windows... before.. and after we also did the sliding door... The screen door is still on it's way but the new door is great! and of course, after redoing the 3 windows and the sliding door, it was time to do the "school room" So the guy got the main floor carpeted but didn't have the right glue for the stairs so he's coming back to do that. Then the husband and I get to start working on the wood that's going on the lower section of the wall you can see here. and then the same wood is going on the floor in the other half of the room (you can see a little of the concrete here too). That should be getting worked on this weekend. I did get some of the stuff moved back into the room that we wouldn't have to move around to get to the walls to put on the wood. Then while all that was going on, we won a prek curriculum package ...

Yep, all my friends will acknowledge I usually have way to much going on. I collect projects like most people collect spoons. I don't expect that to change anytime soon, it's just a part of my personality. I have to stay busy. (So yes, when it comes to my younger daughters ADHD I can totally see where she gets it. My husband also has some ADHD as well so I guess she gets it honestly from both of us.) When I see posts like This: I think of us. We don't always have the most logical idea's (sort of like the "lets collect chickens" idea) but we usually like the outcome. Sometimes we look at the situation and just have to laugh at ourselves..It's a good thing to do. Many of us take life so seriously. Then we add in the stress of doing something really weird, like homeschooling, and we tend to take that way to seriously. We worry about schedules, classes, socialization, doing the right curriculum, missing that elusive "something" that we wil...

One thing I've noticed is that well, My kids like to talk. Yes, talk..ALL THE TIME. So while it shouldn't surprised me, it usually does. This weekend was no exception. From my facebook page: So, once again we have entertained the customers and workers at Lowes (This is becoming a regular thing). So while we sit there and try and figure out the carpet situation. Arianna starts going on about how she wants to be come a geneticist and a paleontologist so she can find specific dinosaurs, decode their DNA, bring back the dinosaurs (especially the Utah Raptors and T-rex's) and start her own dinosaur army...oh and she needs a couple of pterodactyl so she can fly above her army and supervise..and take over the world...I reminded her what happened in Jurassic Park..and she's working out specifics but thinks it's doable...BWAHAHAHAHAH....evil scientist at work..do not disturb...wait she's already disturbed...never mind. This is my 8 yo. The same 8 year old w...