Testing

I promised I would let you know about testing. Just remember that every state is different so look into your state laws what is required from you. We registered the boys with the school district at the beginning of the year. You will get a confirmation letter from the district hold on to it. Not only it is a very important document but it also gives you teachers discounts in stores. Books stores give you around 20% off etc. I just learn the other day that Jo-Anns fabrics will give me 10% off of everything.

Last year, since Sam started first grade, we had to register him with the school district. We also had to have him tested by the end of the year. This was a first for me. I did not grow up in United States and I never went through the American school system. After talking to other homeschooling families we knew there were two options for us. First one was go through the public school and have Sam tested there or have one of us get certified and test Sam by ourselves. I do go to our small public school quite often since Nate goes there for Speech therapy. I asked the principal last winter about the testing options. He told me he never did anything like this with homeschooling families and that they do not do much testing of first graders anyway. He told me they would maybe test him in math. After talking with him we decided we would do the testing ourselves. We went with the IOWA test that was recommended to us by another homeschooling family. Fil is the one who is the certified tester since he is the one with an American college degree (and I wanted someone else then me to do it since I am the one teaching the boys all the time).

I really wanted to know what Sam learned this year so I did not prepare him for the test (like they do in public schools for many weeks before testing). We order the test a few weeks after we got back from Ethiopia and Fil gave the test to Sam after a 3 week break from school. They worked on it together every night after Fil got home from work for 5 days. I believe the total was around 4 hours (I do not remember doing that much testing in first grade when I went to school). There was stuff I knew Samuel knew but was not paying attention and then there was stuff we did not cover yet but he logically came to the right answer. I was very proud of him.
Now for those outside of United States this was all new to me. When I went to school and took a test at the end of the year, the test covered only what we learned up to that point. So if you got 100% you got A ...etc. Not here. The test Sam took focuses on what level he is at. So there were questions all the way up to second grade level. It was not expected he would know all the answers. They want to know what level he is at. This is where it got very confusing for me. I didn't care where he placed nationally. I wanted to know if he knows what he is supposed to know. After a few weeks we got his results and it was whole bunch of graphs and numbers. We were very happy with the results and very proud of Sam. I was glad he did not complain that he did not know all the answers but tried his best to logically to answer. We are moving ahead and the boys are learning everyday.

Homeschooling multiple grades

Jen had a good question about how to handle school with all the children in the family. I will try to explain how I do it and what plans I have for next year.

Sam and Nate are only year apart in age and they would normally be in two different grades (Sam second grade and Nate first grade). Emma just turned three so I am not so worried about her. I have always done the same grade with both of my boys. I know families who's children are three grades apart and still they do same curriculum for all of them.

Bible, History, Geography, Read Alouds and Science are same grade (second) for both of my boys. I highly recommend this so you do not get overwhelmed with too much work. Nate has no problems. However, Language arts and Math I keep Nate at his age level. It works out great for them and for me. (Anything extra the boys do they do together at a same level like typing on the PC, or crafts etc.)(This year I put a puzzle piece on the wall for each book we read during our school time.)

For next year I am planing to start with Emma as well. I will keep her at her level (but keep in mind that Jordan will be with Emma in the same grade like Sam and Nate are at some point) The girls are two years apart and again I am planing to separate Language Arts and Math. Anything else they will do the same. Since Sam and Nate are doing great reading I am planing on keeping them involved with the girls. They already read to the girls on their own so the girls reading will become part of Sam and Nate school work (under my watchful eye).

(This is my basket with school stuff for the next day. I get ready for each day after we are done with school work. I do look over the whole curriculum in the beginning of the year to get the idea but I do get ready every day for the next day.)
As for Jordan and Emma during our school time right now it is their free time to play (just remember to close ALL bathroom doors and keep all pens and pencils and crayons and markers out of the reach of little fingers unless you would like to have drawings all over your walls). I do have a basket just for the girls with stuff for them to do. They are allowed to use it only during school time and it is fun for them (mostly for Emma at this age). There are plenty of web sites and blogs with ideas for little children. I have to admit that at this point it just looks too much extra work for me.
I hope this helps some of you. As you can see I am planing on doing two different grades for my kids (boys and girls). Then again the word 'flexible' keeps popping in my head so keep that in mind as well :)
On another note we are in full swing with ski lessons. The boys are doing so great this year. Both Sam and Nate are having fun on the big hill and they cannot wait to go with Dad during the week. Jo is not interested at all and she doesn't like the cold weather. On the other hand Emma keeps shouting every day that she wants to ski as well. She will get a taste later with Fil and then we will see (it has been a long time since I skied. Looks like I will have to wait until Jordan gets interested and then we can all go).



Poor Jordan. It got cold this Monday during ski lessons and her eyes were so watery. She just wanted to stay inside and eat snacks the whole time (and climb up and down the stairs).

School Schedule

I am going to try to write down how I schedule our school year. First let me tell you that every family is different and every year is different as well.

*I start by looking into a calender as a whole year. I just spread my day timer on a big table and cross out weeks I know we will take time off (for us it was the week of Thanksgiving, two weeks at Christmas time and a week sometime in the spring).

*Then I look at what time of the year I want to finish school (we do take time off in the summer) and start counting back. Our school year is 36 weeks in total so that gives me idea when to start school.

*Now I like to think ahead so I always start few weeks early just to be sure and have some room just in case somebody gets sick or we just decide to take a family trip.

*And finally I like to have some kind of school routine by the time fall activities start (soccer, dance etc.)

(Some of our school books for this year)

It takes us a good three to four weeks to get into a good rhythm with school every day. I start slowly and add something every week (our math program is for 30 weeks so that gives me plenty of room to work with).

Since school in NH starts early in September I like to start in the middle of August. By that time the boys are done with summer activities. That way we are done with school in middle of May. It may seem too early to you but by that time weather in New England is gorgeous and the beaches are so much more fun with less people on them.

Now for the school curriculum. I use mainly Sonlight but I am now adding some extras along the way. Here are some pictures from my 3" binder. I had to take pictures from next week since I write all over every page to remember and to know what we did that day. Sonlight does an amazing job in this way and I know it saves me tons of time planing ( it also works as a portfolio just in case someone would like to see what we are doing in school). You can look at their product Samples here.

When I first started looking into homeschooling I ordered every single catalog I could get my hands on and went to a local homeschooling conference (very overwhelming by the way).

(Bible, History/Geography, Read Alouds etc.)

This may sound crazy to some of you but now is the time when I start looking into the next year. I like to warn Fil ahead of time how much I will be spending for school stuff. I know you can order everything from Sonlight but I like to shop around. While I do get all of the Instructor's Guides from them (the second time you order one it is half off so there is no reason for me to copy anything) most of the books I buy at various sites (I do save some money that way).

(Sam's Language arts)
I hope some of this will help some of you. It can be very overwhelming at first. Most people ask me how I will home school and I have to say we take one year at a time. We have nothing against public or private schools this is just what works for our family.

The boys do get tested at the end of each year but I will try to write about that separately.

(Sam's extra Readers.)

(Nate's Language Arts)

(Science)

I will just add that we are having a blast with the boys. Their love for learning is amazing to me I do not want to take that from them. I know they would feel different if they were in school. So far we are surviving and I did not loose it completely yet. Even thought it is a lot of work it is very rewarding in the end.

I am still here

I am slowly recovering from my sickness. It took me a long time to get better and I am not still 100 % but doing great. No fever and I am so glad for that. We had a slow week last week in our household as I was trying to get back on track after the holidays. We finished our first semester with school right before Christmas (18 weeks) and started again after two weeks vacation. (For all of you homeschoolers out there:"do not panic". I just like to finish school early so I start early as well. ) I was also wondering if any of you have any homeschooling related questions. If you do just leave a comment and I will try to answer. This is our fourth year homeschooling and if I can do it anybody can.

Jo is growing like a weed. She grew 1 1/2 inches since her last dr. visit ( 3months ago) That explains why she skipped a size in clothes. She is changing before our eyes. The big improvement lately is that Jo comes to me for comfort. She hadn't done that before. No when she gets hurt she comes to me for hugs and kisses.

Miss Tina Turner you better watch out. This little diva has got some hair.
Jordan was peaking out of the front door watching Fil shoveling the front stairs. She looked so cute. It also happened that I had not done her hair that morning. So that is why her hair is out of control.

Here she is pointing at daddy on the front porch. We got some good snow the last few days. Our church on Sunday got canceled so the kids enjoyed plenty of snow outside most of the day.

Sunday Reflections

Christians who are no longer sure that God loves and accepts them in Jesus, apart from their present spiritual achievements, are subconsciously radically insecure persons-much less secure than non-Christians, because they have too much light to rest easily under the constant bulletins they receive from their Christian environment about the holiness of God and the righteousness they are supposed to have. Their insecurity shows itself in pride, a fierce defensive assertion of their own righteousness and defensive criticism of others. They cling desperately to legal, pharisaical righteousness, but envy, jealousy and other branches on the tree of sin grow out of their fundamental insecurity. It is often necessary to convince sinners (even sinful Christians) of the grace and love of God toward them, before we can get them to look at their problems. Then the vision of grace and the sense of God's forgiving acceptance may actually cure most of the problems. This may account for Paul's frequent fusing of justification and sanctification.

Richard Lovelace, Dynamics of Spiritual Life You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

(Galatians 3:26-29)

Sunday Reflections

Man is one of your creatures, Lord, and his instinct is to praise you. He bears about him the mark of death, the sigh of his own sin, to remind him that you "thwart the proud." But still, since he is part of your creation, he wishes to praise you. The thought of you stirs him so deeply that he cannot be content unless he praises you, because you made us for yourself and our hearts find no peace until they rest in you.

--Augustine, Confessions My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken. Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.

from Psalm 62

Mom's don't get sick

I was told by my kids earlier in the week that I am not sick. It started with Emma's rest time. I asked her to be quiet and told her that mommy was sick. Emma looked at me with a big smile and said:" No you are not. Mommy is not sick." So much for sympathy from that little woman. Well I tried the same thing with the boys and they had a similar reaction:" Really? Mom's don't get sick." Well guess what? They do and sometimes big time.

I started running fever on Monday and as of this Friday and still have not gotten rid of it completely. We had a lovely New News Eve. Fil gave me celebratory shot of NyQuil. I was running a 104.5 F (40.2C) and did not sleep well for many days by that point. It did break to 102F (39.1 C) and I finally got some sleep. Fil has been on Mom's duty most of the time and I sure hope I will start feeling better. I did see the doctor today and her diagnosis was not very helpful. Either way I will have to wait and see. Hopefully I have the worst behind me and I will get better by the end of the weekend.

This is a time when I wish our families lived close by. But we are surviving and so are the kids. They are all enjoying a little bit more of freedom with the lack of program from mom.

I hope you all had much better New Year.

Coffee anyone?