Homeschooling News

Yesterday was a picture perfect day here in New England; sunny, cloudless skies with a temp hovering in the low 70's (and, most importantly, very little humidity!).  We tackled school work early so that we could head to the park in the early afternoon to meet up with a couple of other homeschooling families in the area.  I had made an attempt to organize a little "meet and greet" for new homeschoolers here in Riverside at the local park - which is something I've tried to do before - but once again there wasn't as big of a turn out as I expected.  5 or 6 families said they could meet there but only 3 showed up - and of those 3 I already knew 2 of them!  Even still, we had a fantastic time hanging out with the families that did show up AND I got to meet 1 new family, which is always nice!  (1 is better than none, right??)  All 3 families have children close in age to mine:  Suzie was there with her 2 boys - ages 10 & 13 (I think), Sandy was there with her 3 children - 1 boy (age 11), 2 girls (4 & 6) and the new family - Ann - was there with her 3 boys - ages 9 1/2, 2 & 1.  Kyle had a fun time running around with the boys as the girls played happily on the playground equipment.  It was nice to chat with the Mom's - I'm learning that everyone tends to homeschool slightly different, which is neat.  I think of all the homeschooling families I've met since I first begun this journey I probably take the most laid back approach - which is kind of funny because anyone who knows me knows that I run a bit of a tight ship around here!  What it really boils down to is doing what is best for each individual child.  To me, having fun while learning is just as important as doing work while learning.  Every day I strive to find that balance for my kids.  I think many people lose sight of the fact that the majority of learning comes from play.
My sister-in-law, Gina, has decided to give homeschooling a shot this year!  She has 4 children (ages 6 and under).  Her oldest went to public school Kindergarten last year but Gina wasn't pleased with how the class was run.  The kids weren't able to socialize during their "down time" (instead they were told to put their heads on their desks!) and her daughter seemed too advanced for the work they were doing.   Pittsfield, MA - where they live - is a very homeschool friendly town, which is very helpful when you're first starting out!  I'm confident that Gina and her kids will fully enjoy this new journey that they've begun.
With the carefree, hot summer days in our rear view mirror it is nice to be back into some sort of a "learning" routine around here.  As soon Jim has a free morning we are going to head to the "big" library so that Kyle can take out some books about the Mayflower.  I'd like for him to do just a few book reports this year, similar to what he did last year but a bit more detailed.  Kyle still really enjoys History (and Science!) so I want to do my part in keeping his interest.