The School of Excellence.

Ha!

The School of Excellence!

*sigh*

I crack myself up.

Yes.  That’s right.

We homeschool now.

We are some of those people.

Look out the window!

Can you see my house?  Can you see my wood pile?  Can you see that strange feeder looking thing?

What, pray tell, is that thing?  It was there when we moved in.

Our school room is complete, but it is nothing spectacular like some of the school rooms I have seen online.  All we did to it was paint the walls blue (holla!).  The previous owners left several different throw rugs, tables, shelves, and lamps of which we were able to use for the school room. 

The shop at our new house is divided into three sections:  a garage area and two different large “shop rooms.”  The room closest to the house is the one we use for a school room.  I think this room was intended to have someone live in it-there is a closet and a room where a bathroom might possibly be able to go in the future.

This little area is where we have our “library.”

Inside, I just have one shelf unit with books organized by reading level.

Brace yourselves.

Our library is massive.

Baby steps, people!

Baby steps.

I am only 3 days into this nonsense.

The top shelf is books that I choose for the kids or I read aloud to them, while the second shelf is for fun reading.  The clear box holds library books.

The girls each have their own desk, complete with a white board, pencil box, and art box.  The shelves in the back of the picture hold their notebooks and such.

As you can see, it is extremely well-organized and aesthetically pleasing.

Curriculum.

Oh, how I stressed over curriculum.  I decided on using The Well-Trained Mind, which is a guide to classical education.  I chose this because I agreed with the author and became excited to homeschool after reading her book.  I also appreciate the fact that she tells you specifically which resources she recommends-which was helpful to me, seeing as how I was a wandering soul lost in a sea of confusing curricula.

Yes.  That’s right.  I said “curricula.”

No.  I am not sure if I used it correctly.

So-The Well-Trained Mind is a guide.  I use First Language Lessons for grammar, Writing with Ease for writing, The Story of the World for history (we are starting with book one-The Ancients), All about Spelling for Spelling, Artistic Pursuits for Art.

Explode the Code for Phonics, Saxon for Math, God’s Great Covenant for Bible, Zaner-Bloser for handwriting, and Making Connections is for reading comprehension.

For reading fluency, we will try to get in about 30-60 minutes of reading a day.

Science is divided into three sections this year.  We are starting off with animals, then we will move on to the human body, and finally, plants.

For the most part, the girls can be combined, although I am being mindful that Sweet Pea needs to be a grade ahead of Daisy Mae.  So far, I am really liking the curriculum.  It looks overwhelming to see all the different books, but I find them all to be really interesting and fun to teach with thus far.

Yes.  I am super experienced in my in my 3-day journey of founding The School of Excellence.

I have had several people ask me why I am homeschooling.

Honestly, I have always toyed with the idea.  But I had a hard time committing to it in the past and we lived within 3 minutes of a public school that we were quite happy with. 

 I went to a Christian school from K-12, so I had always envisioned my kids going to a private school.

But in order to afford that, we would have to sell the children, and then we would no longer have children to send to the aforementioned school.  So that wouldn’t work.

I kid!  I jest!

I knew that if we moved to Ruralville, homeschooling was in my future.  In order to get them to school in town, I would need to drive 45 minutes one way.  So, if I drove there, went home, and then went to pick up the kids, I would be driving for 3 hours a day.  Our winters here can get pretty nasty, and I am not comfortable with committing to driving that much.

I feel there are pros and cons to all methods of schooling and I don’t think that homeschooling is the best option for everyone.  But, for now, homeschooling is the best choice for our family.  And I am excited about it!  It might not be the right option for us forever, but for now, it is.

One of the harder things for me with homeschooling was the fact that I loved school when I was a child.  Getting a new backpack and new school supplies, meeting my new teacher, seeing my friends . . . I loved it all.

And eating lunch in the school cafeteria!

Oh. Be. Still. My. Heart.

My girls were bummed about this, so they talked me into letting them walk through the kitchen in a “cafeteria line.”

Mom.

Of.

The.

Year.

I asked the girls what their favorite parts of homeschooling were.

Daisy Mae:  Snacks and recess!

Oh, Daisy Mae.  You are disappointing the headmaster of The School of Excellence!

Sweet Pea:  Well.  When I was in the other school, it was fun, but I would miss my mom.  Now I get to see mom all the time!

*Tear*

Then Sweet Pea looked at me and said, “Mom.  You are my kind of woman.”

Hmmm . . . interesting.

And, for now, I am content begin this homeschooling adventure.

Content to keep them at home.  Happy to watch them learn.

Eager to keep them young. 

Those two girls got their dolls all dressed up to join them for school today.

Yes.  I want to keep them playing dolls, enjoying tea parties, and playing pretend.

What’s with this growing up nonsense?

They can worry about that later.

There is one small, minor hiccup in The School of Excellence.

The dudes.

Lest any of you are confused, the small heads you see on the “library” floor and on the couch are not factual children, but they are the girls’ dolls.

My dudes present a small . . . . challenge to the daily schedule of The School of Excellence.

I welcome, dear readers, your ideas and suggestions on how entertain my dudes while I teach my girls.

And now, I shall leave with some random facts you should know:

1)  I have homeschooled for 3 days.

2)  This makes me an expert.

3)  I reserve the right to change my mind about any and everything that I wrote about in this here post.

4)  I am making my husband’s second favorite dinner tonight.

5)  I’ll make his favorite tomorrow.

6)  I like to mess with him.

7)  I have not left my house since we came home from camping Monday.  This does not bother me.

8)  I have yet to wear striped socks with Birkenstocks.

9)  I have showered every day.

10)  I still wear jeans (pants.  not jumpers.  not that there’s anything wrong with that), I don’t have chickens, and I strongly feel that people would not label me as “eccentric.”

11)  I might still be normal.

12)  I may or may not have found mouse droppings on the loveseat in my living room.

Happy Thursday . . . Go, Homeschool!

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33 Responses to The School of Excellence.

  1. Yeah for YOU! I am so happy to see homeschooling bring joy to you.

    Yep, little Prince Charming is definitely a kink in my school “room”… but he has recently discovered a love of trains. He is only allowed to play with them when I am working with his sisters. That, and Playhouse Disney (bad mom) keep him out of our hair most of the time.

  2. I’m first, I’m #1, El numero uno, the leader of the line! I can’t believe I get the first comment. It must be the homeschool thing. “Those people” have to stick together you know!

    • Jane says:

      Should I be confused that this poor girl doesn’t know how to count, or is this some sort of homeschooler’s humor??
      I kid!
      I jest!
      : )

      • Lumberjill says:

        🙂 But she was first! She just left a second comment to claim it! 🙂 Not that being first to comment here is a big deal. 😉

  3. Molly says:

    How fun, Taylor! I too homeschooled my brood for 4 years, and while I LOVED it, it ultimately was not a fit for me and my kiddos (sniff). I wish you every wondrous exciting thing in your new journey 🙂

  4. Melissa says:

    Love your school house and am quite envious! And am so missing you and a little mad you waited to home school until I moved across the country!! =)

  5. Deb says:

    Welcome to homeschooling, Taylor! Your choices are great, your kids are cute, and all will be well in the LumberPeople household! There are a lot of us out here, so if you need anyone to talk you off a ledge, just give a shout out.

    All About Spelling rocks. I will be married to it forever and ever, amen.

  6. Cathy says:

    I am on my 6th year of homeschooling my daughter. Last year both of my sons were homeschooled also. I have also had a small in home day care at the same time. I will give you some ideas for entertaining the boys while homeschooling.

    1. Get them their own crayons and place to work so they can do school ( to us known as coloring) while you work with the girls.
    2. Get them toys that they can only play with while you are schooling the girls.
    3. If they will listen to stories have one girl read, or play with them while you work with the other girl.
    4. Let them watch educational movies.
    5. We accomplished a lot of school work during naptime.
    6. Save the girls reading until nighttime and that can be their bedtime story.
    Thats all I can think of for now. I am going to leave you with these words of advice……..Have fun! There may be days when you need more coffee than others…..but thats O.K. And Just remember that you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.

  7. Rachel says:

    It sure looks like you are off to a great start! Congrats! As far as the dudes… not being a homeschool mom myself I really have no right to comment…. I’d recommend something similar to what The Queen mentioned. Finding quiet occupying toys that are reserved for school time only. My youngest has long loved “connect the dots” pages, so that might be an option for your handsome dude? Magnetic shapes can be QUITE fascinating if your children are interested in those sorts of things, Ooh, and flannel board sets! If your boys are interested in puzzles I have a couple of surdy wooden ones that would age appropriate (at least for handsome… how old is little dude these days?) and I’d be happy to pass them on. Hmmm… what else… I’ll get back to you if I come up with more 🙂

  8. Anna says:

    I’m SO Happy for you that you figured out what you want to do and how to do it! And what a nice set-up you have.
    The little boys…….sigh……difficult. I’m guilty of turning on an old computer and letting him play software to his heart’s content. I use REALLY good teacher-approved (by “teacher”, I mean “me”) games. I did find that we got our school work done in record time if he was busy so he didn’t spend as much time on the computer as it would seem. But he was only 2.5 y last year when we started homeschooling and NOT a self-entertaining child so I felt it was my best option……and it worked.
    Congratulations on completing your first week and finding joy in it!!
    And…..what is wrong with wearing striped socks with your Birkenstocks….?

  9. Melissa K says:

    Of course you don’t wear striped socks with your Birkenstocks. You’re much too accustomed to being barefoot and pregnant. Tee-hee.

    It’s fun to see pictures of some of the same things we’re using! I’m definitely an eclectic homeschooler in our curriculum choices–though not so much in attire or personality… at least I don’t think–but I appreciate and incorporate several aspects of classical education.

    You’ll have to let me know how you like All About Spelling. I’ll start formal spelling with my 7 y.o. next year, and I’m strongly considering using that program since he’s not a natural speller like my oldest. I’m also leaning toward Zaner-Bloser for teaching him cursive later this year. I like how they group together the letters that have similar formations.

    As for the dudes, that will be an ongoing challenge. My 3 y.o. thinks it’s the best thing in the world to sit at the table with us, regardless of what we’re doing. But she’s a girl. My 2 y.o. would much rather find a stray marker and color the walls. Sometimes all they need is just a few minute of attention–a story, a song, etc. And just to be included when possible, which I’m sure you’re already doing.

  10. I am SO excited for you. What a fabulous adventure and I think you’ll be great at it. I have not tips or advice but tons of admiration.

  11. Amber says:

    I have been reading about all your fun antics for a while now. You sure do have some great family memories and adventures! What a chaotic fun life! =) Just thought I would take a second to share a couple of “homeschool preschool” sites with you. Although I don’t homeschool, I am doing a lot of activities with my energetic 3 year old and therefore must include our 18 month old too. He insists. These sites have been a lifesaver for me!
    http://www.1plus1plus1equals1.com/TotBooksTotPacksALL.html
    http://homeschoolcreations.blogspot.com/2010/09/preschool-corner-slow-going.html
    http://confessionsofahomeschooler.blogspot.com/search/label/Alphabet
    Hope they give you some ideas too. Good luck with your School of Excellence!

  12. Of course you haven’t worn stripped socks with birkenstocks yet…you’re not from Washington!

    I don’t think…

    I’m really proud of an excited for you! If you ever DO wear a denim jumper just say it’s for science.

    That excuse works for everything.

    Why are you homeschooling?
    For science.

    Why are you pulling out your hair and screaming into a pillow?
    For science.

    See?

  13. MindyLou says:

    The school room looks great! I love the blue!! I suggest painting the bottom-half of one of your walls with chalkboard paint and then let the boys literally color on the walls. This coming from a mom who has never homeschooled. I don’t know, it just sounds like a good idea. Any-whoo, congrats on making it in three days, and here’s to only 8 more months or something like that! Hahahahaha! 😉

  14. Bethany says:

    Your girls remind me of myself when my parents decided to home school me as a kindergartner about 20 years ago. I was sad to miss out on “real” school (especially the cafeteria lunches and riding on the school bus), but I made a deal with them that this home schooling thing would be OK to try out as long as we got a swing set for our backyard so I could have recess. We also had to go shopping for new clothes, a backpack, lunch box and other school supplies, of course. 🙂

    Like your family, my parents had two girls and two younger boys. The little guys were a bit of a distraction, but once we all got settled in (they liked doing their own “school” workbooks), it worked out fine. Long story short, we ended up liking home schooling and stuck with it all through high school. I did go away for college, though. 🙂

  15. Lacia says:

    I think if I homeschooled you would have to commit me after day 1. I can barely get through homework time! Also, I wanted to mention that your picture taking skills are really improving! LOL. I especially love the close-up shot of your daughter in the blue shirt (not sure which one she is). She is the spitting image of you.

  16. namacura says:

    Congratulations on the first week of school almost being completed. I looks like you are a pro already and I commend you!

  17. Joyce says:

    First of all…the bad news. Well, in my mind I consider it bad news and knowing how you feel about snakes, fish and wildlife in general I will tell you that I believe you will file this in the bad news category too. The ‘house’ in your photo looks like it is a bat house. Shudder. We had one that looked just like that in our first yard in NJ, also ruralville east…the previous owners kindly left it for us too. Bats made a home in it and I thought maybe that was a fluke but when I just now googled bat houses the pictures look just like what you’ve got. I’m sorry and you’re welcome.

    http://www.backyardbird.com/bathouses.html

    Also, you sound like you are doing great. Just remember too that teachers in public and private schools the world over have days where they make mistakes, change their minds, feel impatient, and question why they do what they do…they also have days where they love it and know it is exactly where they are supposed to be. So be kind to yourself on the bad days and enjoy watching your kids grow and learn. You are right. There is time for all that growing up stuff and tea parties and dolls and pretend are a big part of learning too.

  18. Sounds like you are getting off to a great start! I think your confidence will grow through time, and I know that when winter comes and the snow moves in, you will be especially glad for your choice!

  19. Chessa says:

    Way to go Taylor! Some days you will wonder why you haven’t done this for years and other days you will wish the big yellow bus was at least in your neighborhood so you could direct your children onto it! We are country dwellers also but the same big yellow bus still drives by on our country road and there have been a few days in our homeschooling career I have almost ran to flag down “number bus 14” (as our second son calls it)! We have always homeschooled…..our oldest is a freshman this year and the youngest is 3 1/2…with 3 in between. Over the years the days have consisted of … “The good, the bad and the ugly”…. and might I add some days are simply beautiful! All joking aside…there is nothing I would rather do with my days than to homeschool my children….enjoy this season!

  20. Sarah says:

    Welcome to the wonderful world of homeschooling! We got stuck in nearly 3 years ago and just love it. My advice would be to read to your children as often as they’ll tolerate! Chose easy books and hard ones too and let them play QUIETLY whilst you read if they need to.
    I’ve got Story of the World and it’s great!
    When my youngest was smaller I let him watch educational programmes on tv – phonics and maths and Magic School Bus (which is slowly reaching even the UK)
    And, don’t forget that as your children spend more time with you and each other your relationships will strengthen and grow, where homework time with my eldest was awful, homeschooling him all the time is great!
    God bless you!

  21. datenutloaf says:

    Sorry first of all for being overprotective but SP’s face is waaaay too close to the dreaded dry erase marker. (if that’s not what it is, pardon me) Schoolhouse is precious. Love the windows. Love the lamps, love the maps. Looks like big educational fun. I know you’ll be great. It must feel really good to have a plan and a curriculum now after thinking about it so long. Congratulations. I must be blind. I didn’t see any dolls or doll heads.

  22. Lynette says:

    I have chickens and there is nothing wrong with me! I shower everyday, do not wear the sandals and jumpers and I make my son comb his hair everyday. Not combing their hair and being late are the things I DO NOT like about fellow homeschoolers….otherwise, I love homeschooling and having my son with me and not with a teacher and children that can have bad influences on him…influences other than my own. 🙂

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