My educational philosophy is and always has been summed up in a quote by William Butler Yeats, "Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." I started researching homeschooling when Gracie was just a baby. Because I love creating fun and exciting lessons, I really thought homeschooling would work for us. But here we are, 5 years later, and Gracie just entered kindergarten at the public school.
I am still a huge advocate of homeschooling. So why aren't we doing it? I believe God calls each of us to different things at different times. And while I have always thought it was the perfect plan for our family, Jim wasn't so sure. At this time in our lives, I am focusing on the verse from 1 Peter 3: 5-6, "They were submissive to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master. You are her daughters if you do what it right and do not give way to fear." I'm also going to join or start a Moms In Touch prayer group for her school. I am starting to realize that God might want me involved in the public schools and my plan was getting in the way of that!
Ideas for Staying Close as a Family
reading the Bible at breakfast
reading and talking on the couch after school
dinner together every evening
Jim reading a chapter book to the girls at night
circle prayer at night
limit extracurricular activities
game night on Fridays
cooking together on the weekends
documenting weekends through photography
watching movies and favorite TV shows together on Sunday night
Some Favorite Moments
*watching the Little House on the Prairie movie after reading the books
*creating Gracie's family tree project for school
*curling Gracie's hair for picture day
*teaching Madelyn her letters and sounds using songs
*picking Gracie up after school