Make-your-own (homeschool) Adventure

We homeschool.  We choose it.  We love it.  We are grateful for our right to do so.

In the coming months, I’ll write more about how we homeschool and what our days look like.   For now, I thought I’d just give you a glimpse of the freedom in homeschooling.  I highly recommend it.  Our family is strong, our kiddos are explorers, and our focus is character development (before the wrong character develops).

This is Macy.  She learned how to roast a 22 lb. turkey last week.  She’s 8!  By the time this holiday season is over she should have bit of experience under her belt!  Why is this important?  Well, I don’t know, exactly, but it resulted in lots of quality time and influence in her young malleable life and I bet she learned a thing or two.  By the way, this was 11 am.  At the school up the street the other 3rd graders were grading each other’s papers and standing in line at the drinking fountain.

Ella is 6.  She just lost her front tooth.  And the bonus…it didn’t come home from school  in a envelope for me to hear all about.  This is a picture of her just before table time.  She gets one-on-one time with her mama teaching her how to read and write.  It’s not scary for me because I ultimately trust God to lead me in her education–there’s no pressure.  What’s important to me is that we are her main influence.  See how excited she is?  She begs to start table time while I’m still cleaning up from breakfast!

And here is lunch.  I’m the lunch lady (holding the camera)!  Who says my kids aren’t socialized???  They spend time with people of all ages all day long.  Now that is more of a practice for real life than learning how to engage with 20 other kids the same age, right?!  The toddlers go shirtless for pancake day.  Then, we work together as a group and clean up after ourselves.  No janitors here.  Although, that is one thing I may appreciate from time to time.  Btw, this photo has an extra kid in it!  I have five kiddos!

Lastly, this post is about me expressing my thankfulness to have the choice to teach my kids at home; and share with you our experience.  Please understand my intention is not to make you feel badly for your choice to utilize our public or private schools. I believe  homeschooling is a calling.  I know for a fact I’m not called to be a computer programmer or police officer, or daycare worker (that I know from working in the nursery at my church!)  I am called to raise my children and to train them in the way they should go. (Proverbs 22:6; my paraphrase) This is how my husband and I have decided to walk this out.  If you wonder if you are called to this…take it in prayer before the Lord.

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Homeschool Dance Night

So, in keeping with the rules and regulations of educating our children at home according to the state of Nebraska, coupled with the where-with-all we have to introduce “culture” to our kiddos, we have instituted Homeschool Dance Night at our house from time to time.  (It just sounds better when I say it this way!) The most recent installation included Daddy’s example of “Gettin’ Down!”  The video’s caption tells the rest of the details.  Following is the internet debut of EDB, the Great:

Video Caption:  It was family dance night and Daddy decided show up all of the kids! He was washing dishes when he surprised us all with qued music, shades, moves and all! You’ll notice the “dad” sweatpants do take some of the precision out of the movements.  It may be time to do away with those!  Enjoy!

PS–I like Vimeo way better than YouTube.

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