Summer Learning

As I've mentioned before, we cultivated a lifestyle of learning in our family. We were always eager to take a break from formal schooling for the summer, but the learning never stopped.

Summer days were definitely more relaxed and the kids had plenty of free time for playing outside and pursuing their individual interests. I think that's very important. I've noticed families who have practically every minute of the day scheduled for their kids year 'round... with sports, private lessons, and organized group activities. For my family, a little of that kind of thing went a long way. We found it worked better for us to keep our schedule flexible to allow for spontaneous activities.

When I was growing up my mother was very good to take us to the library weekly, especially through the summer. I remember devouring stacks of just-for-fun books. The library sponsored a summer reading program with a goal of a certain number of books to read by the end of the summer. I usually passed the goal within the first week or two, as I was a very avid reader. I continued that tradition with my own children. Sometimes we participated in library-sponsored events, and sometimes we just went to the library and checked out stacks of just-for-fun books.

 Mostly, though, our summer learning wasn't even that structured. My husband and I have made it a point to watch for and take advantage of teachable moments as we go about our normal lives.

Our family especially enjoys camping and travel. When we travel we find out where museums, national parks, and historical monuments are along our route, and we plan in extra time to stop and learn. My husband just automatically pulls over if we see a sign for “historical marker” along the way. Often we don’t even get out. We’ll just read the sign aloud, and talk about whatever historical event may have taken place at that spot, and then go on. Sometimes it doesn’t even take 5 minutes.

Here are a few of the educational benefits we have discovered while camping:

• Nature Studies 
• Survival Skills 
• Primitive Cooking 
• Physical Education (hiking, biking, pumping and carrying water...) 
• Exploration and Discovery 
• Socialization (They always meet any other kids whose families are camping at the same time!)
• Reading (A very relaxing way to spend a lazy afternoon at the campground, when electronics aren't an option!) 
•  Photography 
•  Astronomy 
•  Meteorology 

And that's not mention the great family relationships we are building in the process! What does your family like to do in the summer?

Fun with Fred

Life of Fred is a series of math books that Sonlight has recently begun to carry. I used several books in this series with Rebecca for her last couple of years of school. We thought they were great, so I wanted to share how we used them.

First, you need to understand that Rebecca learns differently than the average student. She requires a lot of repetition and review, and it seems to work best to present material in a variety of ways. She can get bogged down in one area while moving ahead quickly in another area. My approach was to encourage her to move on ahead where she could, while finding another way to present the material in the area where she seemed to be stuck. She understands concrete concepts but struggles with more abstract ideas.

With that in mind, we actually started with two different levels of Fred books. We got the first book in the elementary series, Life of Fred: Apples. This was basic (first grade level) math, so very easy for her to work through on her own. But it's not your average first grade level math book. It includes a silly story line, which made it fun, as well as extra, random, more advanced facts from all subject areas. The author works in things like that because it's a natural learning approach. This made it seem not too babyish, even though it was very basic math.

Having already done several years of other math programs, Rebecca was ready to learn about fractions, but I knew it would be a hard concept for her to understand and work through. I got the Life of Fred: Fractions book for me to work through with her at the same time she was doing Apples on her own. Each day I would read a chapter from the Fractions book, and then work through the problems one-by-one with her sitting beside me following along. She had memorized the multiplication tables (using the Flashmaster device) so she was able to work the basic math steps as we came to them, though I knew she wouldn't remember how to tackle the more complex problems on her own. She continued working through the elementary level books on her own, while we went through the Fractions and Decimals and Percents books more slowly. This helped reinforce concepts she had already been introduced to, while giving her a glimpse of ways math is used in real life.

Rebecca loved the silly stories about little Fred, the 5-year-old university math professor. We couldn't help but grin at the outlandish predicaments he gets into as he goes about his daily life. He's a serious and naive little fella who sleeps under his desk in a tiny sleeping bag with his happy-meal toy doll, Kingie.

What I like about the books is the natural learning approach tied into the story. Almost anything is easier to remember with a story tied to it, and in the stories Fred is eager to learn about the world around him. Not in a stilted, unnatural way like you might think a textbook would be. But normal curiosity about the random things of everyday life. That's why you'll learn interesting things like who Archimedes was, the invention of photography, why whales aren't fish, and the difference between herbivores and carnivores alongside basic math facts like 5 + 2 = 7 and 10 + 10 = 20 in the Apples book.

When you read through the list of titles for the elementary level books... Apples, Butterflies, Cats, Dogs, Edgewood, Farming, Goldfish, Honey, Ice Cream, and Jelly Beans... you do have to wonder what in the world those things have to do with math. First, notice that they are in alphabetical order. That helps you remember what order the books go in. And yes, it's important to start at the beginning and go through the books in order because the story flows from one book to the next, and the concepts build on things learned in previous levels. I promise, Apples is not babyish. And then, those seemingly random words really do have something to do with the story in that particular book.

I don't know that I would recommend Life of Fred as a stand-alone math program for an average student, but honestly, it's going to depend on your student. I think it makes a great supplement, and is especially great for a special needs situation such as we had.

African Safari

So I went to Africa for the weekend... um, I mean Sandusky, Ohio. It just seemed like Africa. Or at least a touristy facsimile of Africa.  The Teach Them Diligently conference was held at the Kalahari Resort, which has an African theme. It also features an indoor-outdoor water park. It is near Cedarpoint theme park, so I guess families in that part of the country go there on vacation.

The hotel and water park part of the resort were kinda cheesy, but the convention center itself was tastefully decorated with lots of African art and artifacts. It was interesting to just walk down the halls and see the various pieces.

 Sherry enjoys posing for silly pictures, so she took up with a couple of characters.

The conference went well. There were some slow times, but in general we were pretty steadily busy talking with homeschoolers.

Faux Africa aside, I was within 5 miles of Lake Erie and didn't even see it. We had planned to drive over to at least snap a few pictures on Saturday but it was pouring down rain, so we didn't. I changed planes in Nashville and Chicago and didn't see a bit of those cities, either. I guess you just have to find something interesting wherever you are, in case it doesn't work out to go out of your way for more sightseeing.

This concludes my ramblin' afield for May. I wonder what our next adventure will be?

Headed to Ohio

I'm flying this morning from Denver to Cleveland. I'll be hosting the Sonlight booth at the Teach Them Diligently conference in Sandusky, Ohio this weekend, May 28-30.

Hours are:
6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday
9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday
9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Saturday

Not much down time, as usual for these trips, but I'll be watching for "blog fodder" to share because, no matter what, life is an adventure. Isn't it?

Homeschool Convention Memories and Tips

The first homeschool convention I ever went to was in 1997 in Wichita, Kansas. Laura was four years old and Rebecca was just beginning to toddle. I wasn't seriously considering homeschooling at that time, but a friend of mine was and she invited me to go to the convention with her. We bought vendor hall passes and went one evening just to browse and shop.

We received a tote box full of literature and samples as we went in the door. Yes, a tote box. Apparently they were meant to be sturdier than bags? I don't know. The handles soon broke and we had to carry them in our arms. If I had known then what I know now, I would have taken my own heavy-duty bag. Or better yet, a wheeled suitcase. We collected more information as we went around the hall and our boxes got heavier and heavier. I was just blown away by all the options... and encouraged to reconsider homeschooling my children.

Two years later, after Laura's kindergarten year at home, I attended the convention in Portland, Oregon with my sister-in-law. We spent the whole day there. Lyle kept Laura that day, and I took Rebecca with me. I had our double stroller and that gave me the whole second compartment for stashing catalogs and purchases. The stroller was cumbersome to navigate, but it sure was handy for keeping my preschooler and all our "stuff" contained. Late in the day, when Rebecca was ready for a nap, I just leaned her seat back and pulled the canopy down over her and then walked around and around and around the vendor hall, and even outside a little bit,until she went to sleep. That was the day I discovered comfy shoes are a must. 

Over the years since then I've attended around 80 homeschool conventions by my best count. With the exception of those first two, I've been a representative for Sonlight at almost all of them. At some conventions we are so busy I never have a chance to leave my booth. At others, I've had time to stroll around and visit other vendor booths... and even slip into a workshop now and then.

Naturally I've picked up a few tips and observations. I mentioned the wheeled cart (or stroller) and comfy shoes. Not all events allow wheels, so be sure to check about that before you go. A sturdy backpack would probably be a good alternative, if you can't take something with wheels.

Some events are very kid-friendly with planned activities and hands-on booths for the kids. Others don't allow young kids in the vendor hall at all. Personally, I think you'll get more out of the event if you're able to plan to leave the kids with someone else for the day. At one event recently I was trying to help one mom whose unhappy toddler in the stroller screamed the whole time we were talking. That was very distracting and frustrating for both of us.

There are times when the vendor hall is very busy and you may not be able to get into a particular booth you want to visit, or the line may be long. An insider tip to get around that issue is to plan to skip one workshop and do your shopping during that time slot. The vendor hall is usually much slower during workshops.

One other insider tip I want to mention is to take printed address labels with you. If you have some of the freebie ones that come in the mail occasionally, great! Those'll do! If not, you can print your own. You may want to anyway, to include your phone number and email address. That makes it so quick and handy to enter drawings and provide that info when you are placing an order. Plus it helps the vendor who may struggle to read your handwriting.

Do you have other tips I haven't mentioned? I'm sure others who are participating in Sonlight's Blog Party this month do! Check it out!

Florida Bites

We ended up not having time to drive over to the beach while I was in Florida. Nor did we go to Disney World. As we were riding the airport shuttle today, on our way out, a recorded announcement said, "Chances are, you didn't see and do everything there is to do while you were here..." My co-worker and I had to laugh. Yeah, we didn't see or do very much at all except work. However, we stayed at a very nice resort, and the convention was at yet another nice resort, so there were a few photo ops.

I arrived on Wednesday afternoon and "had" to wait at the airport a couple hours before going to the condo. As you can see, waiting at the airport was a real hardship for me. I staked out one of the benches by this gorgeous fountain and read through several of the Psalms while I was waiting. It was a unique place to have devotions. I needed some alone time that time, so that served the need nicely.

Late that evening, after we had loaded and unloaded some of the convention supplies and taken care of grocery shopping for the weekend, one of my co-workers, Sherry, and I explored the resort a little bit. We were tickled to discover that the smoking area was called the Cigar Deck. So pretentious! No one was smoking cigars (or anything else), and it was actually a very nice deck overlooking the lake.

Another thing that cracked us up was the Sensory Garden, which was a nicely landscaped, short garden path. Sherry struck a yoga pose long enough for me to take a picture. I'm not sure she got the full sensory effect in that length of time, but we aren't real sure what that was supposed to be anyway.

The convention was busy. We worked long hours and talked to lots of people. 

It was held at the Gaylord Palms resort, which has alligators in the atrium. They weren't in the wild, and they weren't very big, but still, it was cool to see them. There were turtles in with them.

On Saturday evening my cousin, Kerry, who lives there, came over to see me. We went out for a quick dinner. It was fun to see her again. It had been several years. We were too busy talking and catching up to think about taking pictures.

And that was the extent of my adventure in Florida this past weekend. I've been to Florida twice now, and have yet to see the Atlantic Ocean. 

Someday we'll go back for a vacation. At least, it's on my bucket list.

Going to Florida

I'm headed to the airport this morning for another convention trip. I'll be assisting at the Sonlight booth at the Florida Homeschool Convention this weekend. The exhibit hall will be open 5 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday. I'll be working with several other Sonlight reps for this event, most of them long-time friends, so that will be fun. Also, Sonlight's owner, Sarita Holzmann will be speaking. I'm hoping to be able to sneak off for a bit to visit a beach, but I'm not sure if we'll have time for that or not. In any case, it's sure to be a great weekend!

Road Trip to Indiana

Lyle and I are headed to Indiana this weekend to host the Sonlight booth at the Fort Wayne Area Homeschool Resource Expo this Saturday, May 16.

We'll be driving to this event. Maybe I can post some pictures along the way, though we won't have a lot of time for sight-seeing.

I know! I can keep tallies! That's always fun. I don't know if anyone else is interested in my tallies, but they amuse me.

Stay tuned.

Fairbanks Convention

The Fairbanks IDEA curriculum fair started today. We have a nice booth location just inside the door. We weren't able to use our new gray tablecloths because they are designed for eight-foot tables, and the tables at this event are six-foot. The blue ones are some we had from last year. It was just serendipity that they match the draping at this event so well.

 This event is held at the Carlson Center, which, it turns out, is the arena for the Alaska Nanooks ice hockey team. Late in the afternoon, when traffic in the vendor hall had slowed down, I went out and hunted the stairs up to the mezzanine to take a "bird's eye view" picture.

 You can see our booth in the left corner, against the wall. Our "sister company," BookShark, is on the right. That's why there are five on our "team"-- three for Sonlight, and two for BookShark.

After work, our team went to the Silver Gulch Brewery for dinner. I'm not sure why most of the restaurants in Alaska seem to be breweries. I had seafood fettuccine and a "Shirley Temple" (which turned out to be a cherry Sprite). Both were delicious!

Kenai Convention

 Today was our first convention day here in Alaska. We even put together a special little display featuring books we carry that are set in Alaska and of course we had to add a cute moose mascot. He will be going home to live with Judy's little grandson, but for this week he's helping out in the booth.

Our booth space went around a corner and had a very large world map mounted on the wall behind it, which made for an interesting yet attractive set-up. Don't you think?

The convention ended at 5:00. We packed and loaded up for the 3-hour drive back to Anchorage.

We have been avidly watching for "Moose on Road" but saw nary a one this evening. (Road sign photo courtesy of Stan.)

We would also not have objected to seeing bears, caribou, or whales along the way, but no such luck. In fact, the only wildlife we've seen at all has been ginormous mosquitoes, various birds... and a very strange character at WalMart who was insistent on helping us load our groceries in hopes that we would give him a dollar for his efforts. Never mind that there were four of us who were perfectly capable of loading our own groceries. That was kinda scary.

We have seen more blue sky this year than last year... which make the snowcapped peaks much more spectacular.

 The late daylight hours made the drive back from Kenai very pleasant, in spite of all the animals apparently hiding from us.

It's been a long day, and tomorrow will be an early one, with set-up for the Anchorage convention first thing in the morning. 

No scenic drive on tomorrow's itinerary... but on a trip like this, you never know what might happen. It's always an adventure.

Headed to Alaska

I will be co-hosting the Sonlight booth at the Interior Distance Education of Alaska curriculum fairs next week. I will be traveling and working with my friend, Judy. I am looking forward to visiting Alaska again this year!

Here's our itinerary:

Monday, April 27. Fly from Denver to Anchorage.
Tuesday, April 28. Drive from Anchorage to Kenai.
Wednesday, April 29. Convention in Kenai. Drive back to Anchorage.
Thursday, April 30. Convention in Anchorage.
Friday, May 1. Convention in Anchorage.
Saturday, May 2. Drive from Anchorage to Fairbanks.
Sunday, May 3. Day of rest.
Monday, May 4. Convention in Fairbanks.
Tuesday, May 5. Convention in Fairbanks.
Wednesday, May 6. Drive from Fairbanks to Anchorage.
Thursday, May 7. Fly from Anchorage to Denver.

As you can see, it's going to be mostly driving and working... not a whole lot of time for recreation. But still, it's sure to be an adventure. I'll keep you posted!

Scheduling Our Homeschool

I have to admit I was a pretty laid-back homeschooler. We didn't have a set schedule that we followed every day. Instead, I tried to cultivate good habits with lots of flexibility.

Early on I discovered that it was best for me to get up early, before the children did, to have a chance for some quiet time and to mentally prepare for the day. If I slept in and didn't get up until they came and woke me, it seemed like we were running behind all day. Generally I tried to get up between 6:30 and 7:00, and be ready to start school by about 9:00.

The "seat work" (written work) was most challenging for my kids, so I found that it was good to start the day at the table working on math, spelling, and language arts while the kids were still fresh. After about an hour, we would take a break and have a snack. The kids could run around a little bit and I could change a load of laundry or something like that. 

After the break, we came back together for the "fun" part of the school day... the time when Mom reads to the kids. Sometimes we would cuddle on my bed, or sit on the porch swing or a blanket in the yard. Most often, I sat on the couch and the kids played on the floor while I read to them. I found they actually listened better if their hands were busy.

Most days, in the early years, we were finished with school before lunch time. Early afternoons were designated as "quiet time." The girls outgrew naps at about age 4 or 5, but we still observed the down time for several more years. Mostly it gave me a break in the middle of the day... and I feel like it was good for the kids to learn to entertain themselves quietly. Late afternoons were for playing outside or running errands.

As the girls got older, they spent more hours doing school, and were able to work more independently. I did continue to read aloud to them all the way through high school, as they enjoyed that, and it gave us wonderful opportunities to discuss what they were learning.

We made homeschooling and learning part of our lifestyle, so it was easy to keep a flexible schedule.

This glimpse at "a day in the life of a homeschooler" is part of Sonlight's 25th anniversary blog party.

Enjoying the Journey

It's a family road-trip. The car is loaded and stocked. The kids are buckled in. And so... you start off. You're barely on the highway when the first kid asks:

"Are we there yet?" 

Patiently you explain how much further there is to go. It doesn't make much difference because a few minutes later:

"Are we there yet?"

And so it goes throughout the day, until you are ready to pull your hair out in frustration.

While I've seen this scenario in comedy movies, I'm happy to report that my children actually never did that much, though we have had our share of family road-trips. We cultivated the attitude that "getting there is half the fun."

If you've read my blog for very long you know that my family loves road-trips. We can easily spend 15 hours or more a day driving, and have very few complaints. We enjoy conversation, audio books, travel games, looking at the scenery, and stopping at points of interest. And yes, we do look forward to arriving at our destination.

Today's topic for the Sonlight Blog Party is to share the best homeschool advice I've been given, and it's very similar to "getting there is half the fun."

Rather than focusing on the daily ups and downs, 

enjoy the journey.

I remember the daily ups and downs. How excruciating it was to sit beside an emerging reader listening to her laboriously sound out the words in her first grade reader. Days when it seemed like we didn’t accomplish anything we meant to. Days when I wondered if the kids were really learning, or if they would be better served going off to public school.

"Are we there yet?"

Mixed in with regularity were the delightful days reading piles of wonderful stories… and laughing and learning together.

The years went by way faster than it seemed like they should, and before we knew it we had arrived at our destination. It was a wonderful journey!

Homeschool Convention Season 2015

This weekend started my 16th season as a Sonlight Convention Representative. I was at the Home Instruction Ministries Spring Curriculum Fair in Loveland, Colorado. This is my 6th year to be at this event, and I always love starting off the season here, because it's small and friendly... and now that we live in Colorado, close to home.

Sonlight is celebrating their 25th anniversary this year, so our booths have a new look with a blue and silver color scheme. Actually, we are trying several new things this year so it was interesting to see how they worked out... some better than others.

I have a break of a few weeks between conventions before my travel starts in late April. Here's my convention schedule for the rest of the season:

• April 29. IDEA Curriculum Fair. Kenai, Alaska.
• April 30 - May 1. IDEA Curriculum Fair. Anchorage, Alaska.
• May 4 - 5. IDEA Curriculum Fair. Fairbanks, Alaska.
• May 16. FWAHS Resource Expo. Fort Wayne, Indiana.
• May 21-23. FPEA Homeschool Convention. Kissemmee, Florida.
• May 28-30. TTD-CHEO Homeschool Convention. Sandusky, Ohio.
• June 19-20. OCEAN Homeschool Conference. Portland, Oregon.

I'll be flying to most of these events, but Lyle and I plan to drive to the one in Indiana. Yay! Road trip! Flying in and out doesn't allow for much sight-seeing, but I'll try to post something interesting from each trip. After all, life is an adventure regardless of how you travel.

Our Homeschooling Decision

Okay, I'll confess... before I had children I honestly thought I would never homeschool. After all, I had survived public school just fine, and as long as I was involved in my children's education I was sure everything would be just fine. The year my oldest child turned 4, a friend who also only had preschoolers invited me to attend a homeschool curriculum fair in Wichita with her. (We lived in Kansas at the time.) My friend did intend to homeschool, and I was interested to see what was out there for preschool... because I knew I wouldn't be sending my child to school till kindergarten.

What an overwhelming and eye-opening experience that was! I took the tote box they gave us at the door and proceeded around the hall, gathering as much information as I could. And that's exactly what I recommend to folks who are considering homeschooling for the first time. Attend a conference. Explore your options.

Up until that time I only knew about a typical textbook curriculum, or a not-so-typical but still very cut-and-dried workbook approach. While I have always loved to teach, I wasn't sure that either of those approaches really appealed to me. I would really just rather read to my children. Imagine my delight when I discovered the literature-based approach to home education! I have always been a voracious reader... and I love to read aloud. To get to do that, and call it school? Umm... yeah, I b'lieve maybe I will homeschool! No, I really didn't make up my mind that day, but it sure gave me food for thought.

I had a part-time job in the evenings as assistant children's librarian at the public library. Working there I began to get to know the homeschoolers who regularly visited the library. Later that summer some of them came in with book lists because UPS was on strike, and their curriculum was delayed in coming. As they asked me to help them locate the books on their lists, I was delighted to find many of my childhood favorites included. Turns out, the book lists were from a company called Sonlight Curriculum.

What really clinched the decision for us was an opportunity to move out-of-state the next year, just before our daughter was due to start kindergarten. We moved to Idaho after school was out for the summer, so I didn't have a chance to check out the public school. My husband and I decided that I would try homeschooling for the kindergarten year and see how it went. After poring over dozens of catalogs, I finally settled on Sonlight  for that first year. By the end of the year, I couldn't imagine not continuing with Sonlight for the next year. And we never looked back.

I started representing Sonlight at conventions in 2000, when the children were still very young. Every year at the conventions I went to, I still explored my options. Yes, I loved Sonlight, but first and foremost, I wanted what was best for my kids. If there was a better curriculum for us out there, I wanted to know about it. Always, I came to the conclusion Sonlight was what our family needed. It is flexible enough that I could adapt it for my kids' individual needs and we could still enjoy and learn from all the great stories.

Looking back, I can't imagine what our life would have been like if we hadn't chosen to homeschool. It has been such a rewarding experience that I wouldn't trade for the world.

This post is part of Sonlight's 25th Anniversary Blog Party (February edition):

I hope you'll join the party.
I'd love to read your story...
plus you have a chance to win a great prize package!

A Sonlighting Family

The assignment today for the Sonlight 25th Anniversary Blog Party is to introduce my family, and share where we are on our homeschooling journey.

My students are these beautiful young ladies, ages 19 and 22. Our formal homeschooling days have recently ended. However, the girls do still currently live at home, so the learning continues. After all, thanks to Sonlight, we raised them to be "lifelong learners."

They say homeschooling actually starts at birth... and it does. When I hear a parent say they could never homeschool it makes me wonder what they think they were doing during those early years. However, our formal, curriculum-based homeschooling actually started in 1998 when Laura was ready for kindergarten. That's the year we started with Sonlight... but that's a story for another post.

Fast-forward to 2011... (and the years went by about that fast...) we were pleased to present Laura with her high school diploma at a group ceremony we had put together with a few other homeschooling friends in our area. Laura graduated in Idaho where we had lived since she was in kindergarten. It meant a lot to her to get to graduate with her friends.

Rebecca graduated this past spring (2014) after we had moved to Colorado. Since she only had one semester of school left after we moved, we hadn't connected with a homeschool group here. Instead we planned a special backyard ceremony just for her with her grandparents and church friends.

Over the years as I've shared our homeschooling story at conventions around the country, I tell how learning is a lifestyle in our family, not just something we do during school hours. And though the girls have graduated and are pursuing their adult lives now... the learning goes on.

This post is part of Sonlight's 25th Anniversary Blog Party (January edition):

   

I'd love to hear your story as well!

Sonlight Fun

This past week at work was a lot of fun... as well as pretty intense... with our annual Sonlight Training Conference with the convention rep team for the upcoming homeschool convention season. Our reps come from all over the country. I've worked with a lot of the same ladies over the years and have made some good friends, so it was great to see them again, as well as meet our new reps. We laughed, enjoyed good food.. and learned a lot.

I used to fly in for this event, but this year I got to help organize it. Even with all the extra work this time, I came away excited about the upcoming convention season, as I always do. My first convention will be in Loveland, Colorado on March 13 and 14. Lots to do between now and then!

Something else fun is going on at work as well. Sonlight is celebrating their 25th anniversary this year, and they have several exciting events lined up throughout the year. The celebration will be kicking off with a free online event this coming Thursday evening featuring Sonlight's founder and owner, Sarita Holzmann, as well as guest speakers, Heidi St. John and Crystal Paine. This event is called Inspire 25 and will include some great PRIZES as well as inspiring sessions. I'll be there. I hope you'll join me!

And then, the other thing I'm involved in is Sonlight's year-long blog party. On the 25th of each month I'll be joining up with other homeschool bloggers to share my stories with a different topic each month. If you blog I encourage you to join the party. Again, there will be PRIZES! Plus, it's a great way to gain new readers.

Looking forward to a great year!

Graduation Day

 

The third Saturday in June was a beautiful day for a backyard graduation. The late afternoon sun filtering through the trees made a lovely setting for the girl graduate in her pink cap and gown. (She was the only graduate in her "class" so she got to choose the color.)

Her teacher (me)... and her "principal" (her dad)... made a few comments and presented her with her diploma.

Then her pastor-grandpa shared some thoughts and offered a blessing. The gathered friends blew bubbles at her as she tossed her cap into the air.

And with that... my homeschooling journey was over.

 Sixteen years I've invested in my children's education. Long days of wondering if we were covering everything we should be. Delightful days reading piles of wonderful stories. Challenging days when nothing seemed to go as planned. But oh, it was so worth it!

 As my mother and I previewed the PowerPoint presentation that I put together for the celebration, she commented, "The years have gone by almost as fast as those slides are changing." I agree with her. How could sixteen years possibly have gone by already?

My emotions have been bittersweet. In some ways, I wish I could go back and do some things differently. On the other hand, I'm excited to see what the future has in store for my now-adult children.

I am so grateful that I had the privilege of being home with them all throughout their childhood. Motherhood is a blessing I don't take for granted.