Modern Homeschool Today

When first considering homeschooling I anticipated our work would occur around the dining room table in our open living space. The problem was it was getting too messy. I would encourage DS2 to bring out some lego or puzzles to do and they would end up everywhere. It also meant that when one person wanted to eat it meant packing everything up. It also felt like the kids were taking over the only 'nice' space in our house as the main living area of our home is generally a toy free zone. So....we transformed our playroom into a school room. This means we can be doing bookwork at the table while someone else is reading on the couch and the others are happily playing with toys and puzzles. We were able to recycle our old dining table that had previously been sitting outside waiting for big rubbish day as well as an old couch. Although a little old and worn - they do the job! So here is our space for now. I'm always 'planning' so I've been looking at...

DS6 isn't a reluctant reader. He's just reluctant to be challenged to develop his reading / comprehension ability. He seems to be better with non-fiction books and recalling facts but needs to work on recalling the story in a fiction book. So, knowing that my son is very goal oriented - I established our 100 books reading challenge. I was running low on colored paper so they look a little boring. Basically once DS6 reads a book he needs to answer 5 comprehension questions before he gets a sticker to add to the chart. Once he reads 25 books he gets a prize. Once he reads 100 books he gets a grand prize. Initially, he requested the prize be a family trip to Western Australia. Nice idea, but no. The grand prize is a new basketball ring - one that can be adjusted to junior and adult height. The other prizes are smaller - a DVD, a date with dad to the arcade and a trip to the movies. This has been successful in motivating DS6 to sit and read with me. I'm going to s...

Today was officially our very first day of homeschooling. I'm not sure how to describe today. I knew it would be challenging transitioning the boys from mainstream school to home but I guess I hoped the first day would be, at the very least, positive. We began our homeschooling day around 8am with our morning boards. This was fine until disaster struck in the form of a disgruntled 2 year old who wondered where HIS morning board was. Who would've thought this act of graffitti could be so devastating to 6yo? Well, it was. A fight soon broke out. I took a deep breath and looked for something to get the whiteboard marker off the walls. After two attempts I gave up. I'll get around to it some other time. We all piled in the car for a trip to the library. Apparently we were too early and the library didn't open until 9:30. Thank God for the playground around the corner! The weather was chilly but not freezing so the boys were happy playing for half an hour. 6yo ...

In preparation for homeschooling I created these morning boards. These are to help DS6 and DS4 get organised for the day and settled into a routine. The idea comes from the site homeschool creations . I printed the pictures from k-3 resources . This is an Australian site that has loads of printables and helpful information. It's only $22.95 a year for membership. Then I whipped out the laminator. I love laminating! Does that make me a nerd? The one above was made for DS4. It's fairly basic as you can see. This is the one I created for DS6. It includes a list of morning chores as well as a yearly calendar. Finally, here is a picture of them up on the wall above the boy's homeschool craft table.  Simple, but effective. I plan to update these morning organisation boards as needed to provide new challenges!

 This is a blog about our homeschooling adventure! Please join us for the ride! If you are interested in homeschooling or are already a homeschooler you may find this blog helpful. I hope you do! If not, you may find the updates of our organisation, planning and progress a little tedious. I decided to create a seperate blog to MUMmedia for that reason - figured homeschooling isn't everyone's thing! Let me introduce you to my family..... This is my firstborn son (known as DS6) who is six years old. He's a bookworm. I have a photo of him 'reading' a book when he was 6 weeks old - little did I know it was the shaping of things to come! He loves to read and has just begun writing the most beautiful stories. He is sweet, sensitive and very creative. This is my second born son DS4 who is four years old. He is such a deep thinker and amazes me with the questions he asks and the things he says. He sees the world very differently. God has given him a...