The Coming Year

When we decided to homeschool, the girls' family was currently living with us. Things were crowded and disorganized. As a result, we set up homeschooling wherever there was a spot. I wasn't as focused as I should have been but even with these problems, I know that all three girls made huge strides, especially in the areas they were having problems with.

Now we have converted the dining room into a classroom....white boards and all. I still have to move a computer and finish putting some things away but the girls and I both are excited. I have decided to use Homeschool Tracker to keep track of grades, lesson plans, lessons finished, field trips, etc. I have already begun to write lesson plans for next year. We will begin school on August 10. Meanwhile the girls are visiting their other grandma one at a time. That leaves me with two girls......for some reason that is so much easier.

Today I hope to get things put away and the computer moved.

Blogging

We have now been homeschooling for one year. As a certified teacher, I thought I had all the answers. This was going to be easy. Well, this has definitely been a learning experience. A good one.

So now I am looking to next year. There are so many things that I will do different. There are so many things I will do better. I want the girls to be amazed by nature. I want them to soak up new knowledge like a sponge. I want to encourage their creative spirits while feeding their minds.

I have discovered notebooking and lapbooking, which we will use a lot this year.

We are currently doing a Nature Challenge where we visit 13 parks and Nature centers in Southeast Texas over 8 weeks. We do the activities, get the sticker, and come home to create our scrapbook. It is so much fun, and we are all learning new stuff!

Guess that's enough for my first post. Look forward to visiting with other homeschoolers and anyone else interested.

Linda