A is for Apple

I think I have mentioned before that ultimately we would like to Home School. This is actually something I have thought long before I was married or even had kids. And the Hubs is actually the one to bring it back to "the table" in the past year. Originally though, I felt that public schools offered a lot in the way of building relationships with peers, adapting to change & learning authority. But, now I am more aware of programs & groups geared towards home schooled children that can offer these same things.

Don't get me wrong, it's not that I am against Public Schooling or that I think I can teach my child better than anyone else can. It's more that I feel one-on-one teaching produces far better results than that of 1-16(or more!) teaching. We did heavily explore the Montessori route, which we really loved, but financially it just isn't something in the budget for quite a while. And since we are planning on four children, thats 4x more than we can afford. And the Waldorf Schools seemed fitting for us as well, but in the same money boat at Montessori.

I'm also being realistic that this may be something that works for now, but it may not work as well when more babies enter the picture. Then again, by then the 2 in the house now will be older so the dynamic I will be dealing with will be different. I (we) are taking this adventure one day at a time.

Why am I posting this now?
Well, because starting next week School is in session!

I know, I know. Trust me, I know. He's "only 2". But I really don't understand why he should be limited to learning & gaining knowledge just because he is/isn't a certain age. And I also know that not all children are the same. They each have their own strengths & weaknesses. But my son is a sponge for knowledge. I've been getting "What's that?" since he was 18 months. And he isn't asking just to be a pain in the ass to ask, he is asking because he generally wants to know! And he is learning everyday. A couple weeks ago he counted to 13 on his own! I didn't even know he knew past 10!! And he wasn't just saying it out loud, he was counting, people, COUNTING! He knew his alphabet before he was 2, & that was us following his lead. Not forcing it on him.

But I feel it's time for a little more structure. More of a routine. So after months of gathering info, I decided to jump right on in.

So this weekend we rearranged our Learn & Play room to have a little less play & a lot more LEARN.

 I also typed up a weekly schedule & a monthly calendar to track what we are doing. As of now, the game plan is to work on a new letter, color & number a week. And it will all tie in to a monthly Theme. There will also be other "subjects" mixed in like: Arts & Crafts, Science Exploration, Kitchen Class, Library, Life Skills & everyone's favorite.. Field Trips!

Here's a planner I made to keep track of the what & when during the week.

I don't plan on watching the clock at this point. And I know that things can/will come up that may change the plan for that day, these are merely goals. My GOAL is to make sure we are reading EVERY DAY. And that we do something associated with the letter/color/number for the week. And most importantly, I want to make sure that I am engaging with him everyday & opening his mind to the world & environment around.

Hopefully I can post some updates as we move along on this new journey. There are still a few finishing touches to add to the room, so I should be able to post some pictures in the next couple days.

I am beyond excited, nervous, anxious, thrilled, terrified & eager to get started. First Day of School...ready or not, here we COME!