Our first year at home

We are approaching the one year anniversary of pulling the kids out of public school, so I thought it would be a good time to reflect upon all of the things we've done this year. As I started compiling the list I realized why I've felt so busy this past year! We've had so many changes and learned so much.

It took me about 9 months, but I think I've finally been able to place both kids where they need to be for math. We started with second grade books and are now doing ALEKS at the 5th and 6th grade levels. They've learned multiplication, division, long division, factors, greatest common factors, simplifying factors, all kinds of geometry, percentages, algebra, order of operations, all kinds of properties, and probably 100 other things that I can't even remember. The most important thing is that they are learning something new each day, and are able to progress at their own pace.

Through our curriculum we've covered lots of different science and social studies units. The units included ancient Egypt, the Middle Ages, American Heroes, states of matter, motion, weight, balance, American Government, magnetism and electricity, forces of nature, Africa, Asia, rocks and minerals and Ben Franklin. They also completed units that I designed on Japan and volcanoes.

I'm also happy with their progress in reading and writing. They've both read 10 books as part of their literature curriculum. This doesn't count the 3 reading parties they've earned, the book clubs we've joined, and the amazing amount of free reading that I don't even count toward our home school hours. Both of the children have dramatically improved their intonation while reading aloud, spelling and vocabulary.

They have also been learning all kinds of things with our electives. They've both learned to type, read and write cursive handwriting, and have started learning Spanish. We've continued with piano lessons and have started taking Taekwondo. Both kids would like to finish Suzuki book one by the end of 2010, and they're both yellow first in Taekwondo. We've also taken countless field trips including a great trip to Philadelphia.

Both of them have been continuously challenged. This was probably the hardest adjustment they had to make. Neither one of them knew how to deal with something they didn't know how to do. They've since learned how to work past the frustration and complete their tasks. I have to say that those are the moments that fill me with the most pride. It is hard to watch them struggle, but it's so rewarding to teach them how to get past that.

During the course of the year we've gone from lessons being completely driven by me, to a weekly task list. This has been a great change! It has taught them time management, organization, and how hard work can pay off. They have never left something unfinished (probably because they aren't willing to pay the consequences of not finishing their list!), and I don't have to motivate them to do their work.

When we originally decided to home school I thought we'd try it for a year and see how things went. Now that the year is up and we're evaluating how things have gone, I couldn't imagine our lives any other way. Zoë has become much more confident in herself and her abilities, and Aiden has learned how to focus.

The past year hasn't always been easy. There have been times that I question my ability to educate them, or wish for some free-time. But as time has gone on those feelings have waned. When I see their excitement while we work on activities I know that we've made the best choice. Our whole lives have become more full and at the same time more relaxed.

I'm excited to see what the next year will bring!