Lesson Planning

Thanks to some well timed birthdays and extremely supportive friends and family our rig is packed full of educational material that would make any teacher drool. We have science experiments, geography lessons, natural wonders books, architecture books, bug collectors, and maps. We have prisms and kaleidoscopes, binoculars and games. We have puppet making supplies, knitting, legos, footballs, baseballs, frisbees and jax. Outdoor obstacle courses, scooters, bikes, and skateboards are also somehow packed in our 34 foot Cougar. This is all on top of the full year curriculum (Oak Meadow) we have purchased as well as three supporting curricula (Life of Fred, Explode the Code, and Handwriting without Tears). If I was feeling uncertain about home schooling, all fears have dropped away in the past two weeks and I am left wondering how I will ever present this much information to our kiddos over the next year. For those who are wondering, I did purchase a planner: A Simple Plan.

Any experienced homeschoolers who are reading this, I am sure, are producing a couple of smirks right now because the secret of homeschooling turns out to be it is quite a bit easier and natural than can be explained. Purchasing curriculum helped me feel better, but if one was to place bets on how the year will go it might be safe to say that we start learning off our travels more than these books by the time the year is through. The kiddos and I have started a very comfortable routine where we come together, then find our own things and then come together again. In the past two weeks it has been fun to find where their interests lie at this moment and explore those. I had no idea Austin liked to draw as much as he does and if I had to guess I would have said his interest in reading was pretty low. It turns out he gets very excited to do his best when it comes to drawing and even if his skills aren't showing it, he says he really wants to learn how to read. Oliver on the other hand who I would have thought liked the free form parts of the day is the first to have his work books out and wants me to circle his "best work" such as the letters that are the neatest, or writing his math problems with all of the correct symbols.

As our departure grows nearer and I am forced to start planning our goodbyes I am left feeling a bit of a mix. We all have incredible relationships here at home where Chris and I have both grown up. Even if our goodbye is only for a year we know we will miss our weekly dinners and playdates and ease of being around family. We are also excited and feel like we are about to embark on something so special. A year of growing and connecting as our own little family unit while exploring some of the prettiest and historical parts of our country will most likely be our greatest lesson.