And We're Back!

Welcome Back!

For the 2022-23 school year our theme was: Developing a lifelong love of learning through curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking.  

We must have done something right, for when the kids went back to public school for the 2023-24 school year, they were above benchmark in all the tests. So far above benchmark, in fact, by mid year they were ready for the next grades work. As you can imagine, this led to a lot of boredom and feeling like their time was being wasted despite having good teachers.  And let's be honest, they really missed starting the school day on their own schedule.

Despite the early hours, they learned a lot of lessons by sticking it out for a year. Even if all those lessons weren't exactly "academic". However, after a year of experience the public school, we are ready for the freedom, flexibility, and individualized pace that homeschooling provides.

Due to our kids having gone back and forth from homeschool to public and back again, we use the common core standards as a guide. We have found it's possible to achieve almost all the Common Core Standards in a short period of time, leaving the majority of the year to pursue personal interest in depth.  Most of the standards are also achieved by tailoring the child's education to the child's interest.  I know it's crazy, but by letting kids learn about things they're actually interested in, it promotes the love of learning. And the the things you want them to learn, actually stick better. Who knew!  (Just all those who actually study child development.)

We will also be participating in a weekly co-op, working in groups to explore topics of interest. We'll have monthly homeschool get togethers where kids play. And, because we finish all our scheduled activities during the morning, after school hours are for friends.

For math, we will be using Singapore Primary Mathematics US editions

For social studies, we will be focusing on our state's history.  We have a lots of history ideas- let's just say, field trips! (And I just learned the kids Grandpa wrote a history book about our state.)

For Language Arts, we will be focusing on creative writing. We will also study, descriptive, persuasive, and informative essays, as well as proper grammar, spelling, and handwriting. Most of this will be done in the context of creative writing, as creativity will be a major focus this year.

For science, we will focus on zoology, mainly reptiles and marine biology. We will also meet the core standards of learning about light, sound, space, etc. Plus, plenty of other hands on experiments because I'm getting an itch to make some elephant toothpaste.   

Music, Art, and PE will also be integrated in as I feel these are just as important- if not more so- than the three "R's".  This is especially true for young children. We have an online art curriculum we will be following for that.

But perhaps the most important "subject" to promote a child's creativity is: unstructured play time.  

Free play leads to better learning and more creative thinking. Creative thinking is the most important skill a child can learn. From NASA engineers to symphony composers, the ability to create is what pushes us beyond what is currently possible. Creators change the world.

Which is why in all we do, I want to foster creativity. That is the reason this year's homeschool theme is: 

Nurturing creativity through child-led innovation, exploration, and wonder.