Goodbye March!!!

Are you taking spring break this year? We are because March was an unusually busy and stressful month for us. The Chief was in and out to sea throughout the month (it is so much easier to just have them in OR out) which meant that we couldn't get on a normal schedule. Our evenings and Saturdays were booked with basketball games for Squidward and cheer games for Mia and myself as the squad's coach. I had numerous meetings in relation to the base animal shelter and Ombudsman. We spent more time away from the house than home and we are all exhausted. **I should mention that I am not complaining, only a little tired- I am so thankful for all of the opportunities that I am able to teach my children, be a role model for others'children, and give time and energy to help animals and our command families.

I am not sure why this all happened in March but it is officially the end and I am ready for nice, quiet and peaceful April to get here! Despite our busy schedule, we kept up with school. Sometimes it was broken up throughout the day or even on the weekends but I cannot let my busy schedule and the things that I choose to do overwhelm me to the point that my kids are not getting an adequate education. It is sometimes hard to find that balance and usually I do well but March really made it difficult and put my organizational and patience skills to the test!

Of course when I say we are "taking a break" for spring break, it does not mean that we stop learning. One of my favourite things about home learning is that lessons don't necessarily have to come from s book. We will be focusing on gardening and setting up our outdoor greenhouse, planting seeds and researching plants. The kids miss their veggie gardens so my task is to find a way to make a veggie garden easily in a small space!

We will also be preparing our for our science fair projects. Our local homeschool group is putting on a science fair and all of the projects have to creatively based on a Jules Verne book! Brandon chose to make a test a homemade hot air balloon, Aidan chose to do a presentation of his amazing rock and mineral collection and Mia is doing a presentation on the planets of the solar system.

We will also be reading some of our favourite Jules Verne books to help us get excited about our projects. Zombie, Squidward and I can take turns reading out loud but Mia is still a beginner reading. Whenever we read together, we focus on sight words and phonics. She also loves to read Raz-Kid books to herself and record them for me to hear- I am sure she will do many of those over spring break.

What will your family be doing over spring break?

Testing Results!!!

This week we got the results of the kids' standardized test results! This was our first year testing and we chose to do it mostly to ensure my home school program is complete and I am not missing anything n my children's education.

Mia's totals determined that she was above average in both reading and math totals. Aidan was average in math and language arts and above average in reading. Brandon was above average in reading and math and average in language arts.

I am beyond thrilled because this means we are doing something right at home. It also gives me a little proof that although it seems as though we have "short and easy" schooldays, my children are still getting a good and solid education :) 

This week we have been having fun doing online vocab games and short vowel games. I try to make sure my kids have a good balance with fun and studying. The more they are interested in something, the bigger chance they will retain knowledge!

Internet Safety

Nobody can deny that the internet is an integral part of most homeschooling homes. I feel it is both a huge blessing and still a bit of a curse sometimes. I love that my kids can research the pyramids, watch a ocean documentary, read a book about George Washington and see Grandma and Grandpa in real time by a simple click of a mouse, without ever even leaving the couch! Unfortunately, with these modern day conveniences also come online dangers, the most extreme being hackers, predators, porn and scams! I never want my children to be scared of their world, but I do feel strongly about educating them about some of the not good stuff they may see or experience on the computer. We talk about and practice internet safety for kids in my home by:

1. Supervising computer use. We have one desk top and four laptops throughout our home and the kids are only allowed to play on the computer in the schoolroom which is downstairs in the main are of the house so that I can watch what they are looking at.

2. I stay informed about current internet security- scams and viruses are always changing but knowing how these are targeted to some computers either through use or action helps my family not become a victim.

3.I also share information about risks to my kids. Of course I do this not wanting to scare them but they are learning that ads or attachments are not always true and that any person can pretend to be anyone online easily.

4.Install web filtering software to help become a barrier between your kids and the world wide web.

5. Supply my kids with a list of appropriate child aged websites, online learning games or informational websites to use.

What do you do to ensure internet safety within your household?