I wish I would have known....

Have you seen this video? I suggest you watch it if you are a seasoned homeschooler or a new one just starting out. If you aren't new to home schooling, are there things you wish you had known or done differently?

For me, I wish I would have known that homeschooling isn't necessarily schooling at home. The public school is set up for facilitate a 20-30 child classroom of the same age with no time left for individualized learning plans so it wouldn't make sense to bring the public school setting home to a home with only a few children of varying ages. When we first started homeschooling I did the only thing I knew- I set our schedule up as a public school schedule- a strict timetable throughout the day with scheduled recess and lunch, a mandatory set of learning subjects each day, lots of worksheets, quizzes and tests.... we were miserable.

Once I let that go and realized that homeschooling can be tailored to exactly whet your family needs and wants, our homeschooling experience just got better and better. I do still follow a scope and sequence, which is each lesson building on each other in a systematic way and we did volunteer for standardized testing this year but these are personal choices that I was free to make rather than feeling as if it was something that was mandatory. Our days are very flexible and I have learned how to combine subjects so that lessons in each subject can be tied to one or two assignments. I also have found the importance of teaching outside of the book- life experiences, relationships and socialization is just as important as multiplication and homeschooling allows me to help facilitate those experiences for my kids. We also got rid of all of the busy work. My kids may complete a worksheet that specifically pertains to assignments but the never ending busy work has ended because I am not a teacher in charge of 20-30 kids who cannot possibly sit down with each child to make sure they grasp the lesson, instead I am one mom with three kids who is able to sit down, teach and observe my kids and know exactly where they are at in their lessons. I don't need worksheets to tell me that. Instead we focus our free time on free writing, educational games, lots of reading, play, conversations and traveling!

What is one thing you wish you would have known before homeschooling?

How to Homeschool

I am often asked how to homeschool and my only answer is there is never a right answer to that question! There are some things that I urge parents to know before they make that homeschooling leap.

1. Know your local homeschooling laws. Each country and state have different laws governing how they handle homeschooled children and families. Some places are very strict and require testing and proof of lessons, others may just require something as simple as filing your intent to homeschool. We have homeschooled in 2 states and three countries now and each place required different things. I always caution parents to follow their local laws because not doing so looks poorly both on them and all other homeschoolers in the area.

2. Know the different homeschooling approaches and feel free to apply more than one. Unit studies, eclectic, unschooling, Charlotte Manson, Waldorff, Montessori, traditional, and many more. I am not a big "follower" type person. I like the freedom to pick and choose what I or my kids like and run with it. I am sure our family would be considered eclectic homeschoolers for this reason.

3.  Know your child's learning style.Catering your teaching style or curriculum type to your child's learning style makes homeschooling so much more easier for you and your child! Auditory learners learn by hearing and talking through their lesson but don't do well with written instructions. Visual learners prefer to see what they are learning and don't do s well with retaining lectures. Kinestetic learners learn by doing. They learn best while touching, moving or going through the steps of what they are learning. Many people do not fall under just one category and sometimes just different subjects might require a different learning style approach! 

4. Know your community resources. You are never alone when you homeschool. Many communities have unofficial homeschooling coops, clubs or field trips. It is a nice way to get to know other families and make friends along the way. Check out your local museums, art gallery and library because many do special day programs for homeschoolers!

5. Know your different curriculum options and feel free to change it. I am notorious for trying different types of curriculum. Some get used and some get put on the shelf for a later time, others get sold because it just doesn't fit well with my family. I explore everything that is out there and recommend that parents looking at homeschooling do the same. Another thing t keep in mind is that curriculum does not have to be expensive and it also does not have to just come out of a text book!

6. Know that you will have difficult days or weeks but also know that you will have wonderful ones as well!

Want to homeschool?

I often get asked by others how to begin homeschooling. Many Military families are turning to this alternative because of our unique position that our spouse's job puts us in- frequent moves (sometimes to not very nice areas), having to find rental homes on short notice or only being able to keep a lease for 1 year and having to move again even though you are in the same area, a spouse that may be absent for at least half the year and overseas assignments where culture and language may be a challenge. Our family loves this adventure but it does come at a cost. My children always seemed to be the new kids at school, they also always seemed to be either ahead or behind in subjects depending on where we moved to. In Denver my son was doing great and within learning standards for school. From there we moved to Mississippi where he was ahead in all subjects but he was found to be behind in both reading and math for our move to Florida.... all of this was within a 3 1/2 year period!

To begin homeschooling, I suggest for the parent to first think of the reason why they want to homeschool. Is it because of frequent moves? Do you feel your child needs more one on one instruction? Is it due to bullying or problems within the school? Are you feeling called to homeschool due to religious or other moral  reasons? By answering the question "why" you will find the answer "how" because you can tailor your homeschooling to what YOUR family needs.

Next, find a curriculum that works for you. Don't be afraid to try many different styles- you may be shocked to find that what works for one child may not work with another. I personally am not big on only going with one curriculum. I have three kids and those three kids have three different learning styles and three different ways that motivate them. I guess I would be what is considered an eclectic homeschooler, meaning we have a modge podge of learning resources that we use.

Our core curriculum happens to be Time 4 Learning, designed by Compass Learning. I love it because it is a complete curriculum, it is portable, easy to use for both kids and parent and it is fun. During our big PCS to Japan all I had to bring was my laptop and the kids were able to complete their schoolwork everyday using T4L. In addition to T4L, we do supplement with other things throughout the year and I would love to share them with you so you can see just how diversified our family is!

• Squidward keeps a free writing notebook that he writes in everyday to build his writing skills
• Handwriting without Tears is used by my younger ones, both manual script and cursive. I love the letter building blocks and practice blackboard.
• We have done family unit studies before on the subjects of whales and food and enjoyed learning this way very much.
• I use Math U See to reinforce the learning objective in T4L in a way that the kids can use manipulative to actually see and physically do the math.
• Maps, globes, story cubes, chapter books, picture books, the internet, children's encyclopedias, flashcards, art supplies- all things that the kids are able to freely use at any time.
• I am also thinking of adding in some Winter Promise science activities, a company that takes a Charlotte Manson approach.

Also keep in mind that homeschooler do not necessarily have to do a normal 0800-1500 M-F school week with summers, federal holidays or mid year breaks- you can actually choose when you do school! We have been known to take a few days of during the week and go visit someplace cool (like Tokyo) and school on the weekends or we school in the evening. We have also been known to get up early in the morning, completed school and had the rest of the day to have fun! To outsiders, it must look like we never do anything but I can assure you, even in "non school" activities my kids are learning. Having a flexible schedule also allows us to spend time with The Chief when he is home, something that doesn't happen too often during this assignment. I remember how sad I was when we first arrived and watched the ship pull in but there were not many kids there to welcome their parent home because it was a school day. I couldn't imagine sending my kids to school for the entire day knowing that their Mom or Dad has been waiting so long to see them,and the kids are wanting nothing more than to see their parent. Just this last week, The Chief pulled in very unexpectedly and we ended up taking the day off of school to spend time with him, we just made it up after he left. I love this kind of freedom and think it really does help us become a happier and stringer family. Working through normal public school breaks also allows us to travel when others aren't which usually means less crowds and cheaper prices, plus we can usually tie any kind of travel into some kind of lesson plan! The options are unlimited!

Lastly, if you feel drawn to homeschooling, just do it! Give it a try and be willing to listen to your kids. Be willing to bend the rules on what you think school is. Try to be flexible and try things that may be new to you! Just keep in mind that it will take a little time for you and your kids to adjust and find what works for you. Also, it is ok if you don't have great days! Nobody is perfect and you aren't expected to be. There will be days that your kids don't want to school and days that you don't want to teach- it is ok and completely normal. Our move here was very stressful and the first few months in our home was pretty hard- both mine and my kids patience was shot and it took us a while to find our homeschooling groove again. There were days I wanted to throw in the towel but we stuck with it and it all worked out.

I would love to help you if you are interested in this option for your family. I can refer you to many resources that have helped me in the past too :)

Bittersweet Week

Our family has had quite the eventful week. The Chief's ship pulled in unexpectedly for two days but he was only able to come spend less than half a day with us.It was bittersweet- nice to see him but hard to let him go again.

We also brought home a foster kitty who was having issues with the other cats at the shelter. he wanted to play all of the time but they did not. He has settled down very much since coming here.I was also voted in as the kitten coordinator for the animal shelter. I am very excited about this but have a feeling the job will be very big since there are many homeless kitten litters born in this country that does not advocate spay and neutering.

The kids have been doing standardized test prep all this week to get ready for their actual tests that I will send back to the state of California for grading. Their scores will not be graded against other kids, we are strictly doing testing this year to see where each of my kids are and to see if we need to make any curriculum changes or additions. It was a rough week for them. the test prep requires them to be quiet and still as if they were taking the real test so I ensure they have lots of breaks to get up, get a snack, go outside or jump on the computer to play online language games. One thing my kids have issues with are homophones- words that sound the same but have different meanings. We found a whole bunch of homophone games that help them find the difference between to too and two.

This week we will continue our testing and make Valentine's Day decorations!

Chinese New Year

It can be difficult living in a foreign country. The language, laws, landscape and customs are all different and can sometimes be frustrating when one doesn't know what is going on. Fortunately, much of that is forgotten when a foreigner gets to celebrate another country's holiday. This past weekend, the kids and I hopped on a train headed for Yokohama to partake in some of the Chinese New Year Festivities in Chinatown.

I fell in love with the lions! We waited two hours but were able to watch in the perfect spot front and centre!The lions definitely stole the show- they were funny, rambunctious and acted like fluffy dogs to the crowds amazement. Many people confuse the New Year Lion Dance and the Dragon Dance... The Lion Dance is only done with two people under the costume while a Dragon Dance is done with multiple people under the costume in a line. At one point during the show, the white and pink lion walked right up to my daughter and she gave him a big hug! Culturally, it is believed that when the Lion dances aggressively, it wards off evil spirits.

 The kids learned that the New Year is one of the Chinese most important traditional holidays. It is a time of new beginnings or cleansing and many will take this time to cleanse out their house. Red also carries significant meaning with messages of good fortune, wealth, happiness and longevity.Seeing this in person rather than reading it out of a book helped my two right brained visual learners grasp just how important this holiday was to both the Chinese and the Japanese people.

It is events like these that not only make me thankful that we are living in Japan but also that as homeschoolers, we have this amazing opportunity to explore and appreciate this beautiful country's culture!