Hello Summer! And What I Learned This Weekend

You know what I'm guilty of? Not writing enough just every-day simple life cheery-type posts. So here's one for the record, peeps.

We've got some small news. Okay, I'm lying - pretty big news that we're not sharing for a while (and no, I'm not pregnant) and you know what? It's a killer not being able to tell you. I'm incredibly good at keeping anyone else's secret - just not my own! I'm an open book kind of gal and it's tough not blurting out what's going on in our little lives. Could you do me a favor though, dear reader? Pray for us when you think about it. Pray for God's continual guidance in our lives, and pray for His ever-binding-perfect will.

With all that said - our summer has officially started! The kids will continue reading through the summer and do some writing - but other than that, we...are...done! I was able to attend our homeschool convention this weekend, and it was a wonderful time to recharge my batteries (if you homeschool - ya know what I mean). I talked to someone, and they said "Why can't they have this convention in February?!" Totally agree - that's *really* when us moms could use the recharging. Big time.

So, some notable speakers that were at the convention were: Dr. Jay Wile (Apologia), Heidi St. John, Marianne Sunderland, Cheri Frame (Credits Before College), Dr. Lou Priolo, and many more. I soaked up much wisdom over the weekend. Although the convention was considerably smaller than Great Homeschool Conventions (which I've attended in Cincinnati) - it was a quality good one. If you ever come visit me in Iowa - you'll find they do things small here, but the good kind of small. I like it. :-)

Are you ready to hear some of what I've learned? I promise to condense it as much as possible. As possible. *Grin*

#1: Credits Before College by Cheri Frame. Check out the site. Like now. Especially if you have a homeschooler entering 6th grade or higher. Here you'll learn how it's possible for your homeschooler to receive a bachelors degree (or even higher!) when they graduate high school -- saving a *TON* on college tuition. The creator of Credits Before College, Cheri Frame, has homeschooled kids who both received their bachelor's degrees when they graduated high school, and guess what? Their total education cost less than braces. I don't know about you - but my son just got braces a few months ago, and hey...that's pretty stinkin' doable. In fact - it sounds heavenly.

#2: Transcripting and recordkeeping: keeping it simple. While it's most important to begin recordkeeping in high school - it doesn't hurt to start detailed recordkeeping 6-8th grade. Just taking note of detailed course of studies, test scores and documents in portfolios (like most of us normally would anyway) - all suffices for recordkeeping. About grading - calculating only test scores is the route I'll go. It's simpler - and I believe the most concise way to keeping records (our everyday practice/in-homeschool work is done until it's perfect and understood - so I feel those records don't serve as well as just test scores).

Transcripts: I have a while before I really need to go into panic-mode about this (I'm like 1/4 of the way into panic mode with my boy going into 7th - 3/4 more of the way and I'll be hitting the panic button). But although it sounds dreadful and scary - transcripts can be simple! Visit http://creditsbeforecollege.com/transcripts/ for great simple advice for completing a transcript.

#3: Teaching science at home! Dr. Wile said something that's fairly common sense but also scary: that MATH matters the most - especially in the earlier years! So yes mamas, math is the big-daddy from K-6th. It helps train our littles' brains for science. And enthusiasm is what's most important for science in the earlier years - like any subject! This is great news for homeschoolers of course, because our philosophy is to instill a LOVE of learning. So, get them enthusiastic about science! Make it light, but not simple, and by all means - make it fun! Immerse those littles in knowledge, experiments, and take time to observe nature and surroundings. These K-6 years are important for creating a love for learning over memorizing facts.

So what about 7th grade and higher? This is when of course structured curriculum is definitely necessary. Most of us know this and are going this route. I know for us, we begin General Science - which will have a lot more involved. In high school - math basically still rules. In order to do a lot of science courses - our students need to be well-rounded in math studies. Chemistry of course uses a lot of algebra. Kids need to be able to read and understand graphs well. And physics? Some trig experience is needed. Our ultimate goal should be that our kids take biology, chemistry, and physics before finishing high school (oii). Um, yea..a lot of kids don't finish all three. But goals are important, right?

#4: Avoiding Homeschool Burnout!: This was a Marianne Sunderland session. She suggests some key factors for avoiding burnout, which I'll list below:
- Lots of prayer
- Wake up early
- Focus on character
- Have a clear routine
- Plan your dinners!
- Give thanks - consistently
- Keep your priorities straight

Causes of burnout:: Unrealistic expectations (been there), doing too many outside activities, feeling too isolated, and experiencing parenting issues (unruly kids, strong-willed kids, teen years, etc). So, if you have unruly or teen kids - throw them out of the house and save yourself some burnout. :-D K, maybe not - this is when character training comes to play.

#5: Heidi St. John's sessions can easily be found on her Fearless Mothering blog. And you may have already read those - so I won't bore you! :-)

I've learned a lot more than those four things, but those are some of the more memorable sessions. Over-all, it was a wonderful weekend of sitting through sessions, chatting with a few friends, and just the camaraderie of other homeschool parents - who by the way, are some of the finest people I've ever known. Just downright dedicated, go-the-extra-mile type people.

So - it's summer. And yes, us homeschool mamas love summer just as much as the kids. :-) I think summer reminds us of the better seasons in our lives. It's bright, sunny, warm, and cheery. There's fireworks, cookouts, friends, and family. Spring may bring new life - but summer brings celebration of that life.

Today we meet some friends for some swim time like we did last week. It's a nice time for the kids to get together - and of course us moms get to do what we like to do more than swimming - chat (sign of adulthood? Definitely).

So, raise your mugs of iced coffee, folks - here's to summer!