Jan 20 2009
School Daze
I guess we can officially say we have started homeschooling Fuller.
Damon and I have been talking about certain educational goals we have for Fuller this year. We realized that to reach those goals we should probably start getting a bit more focused on providing Fuller with the tools to meet the goals. And on Monday we started being more intentional about Fuller’s activities, setting aside time for actual learning.
One of Fuller’s joys seems to be lists (it’s genetic). So, in the mornings, we have a list ready for him. We incorporate words and pictures to help him understand it, and he is excited to get his list soon after I’ve had my coffee. It gives him things to do (get dressed, brush teeth, feed the dogs, etc) and keeps him focused in a way that is much better than me telling him ten times to get dressed.
We set the goal of having a lesson start around 10 a.m, breaking for lunch, and then moving on to a second subject. We focus on two subjects a day. One is always reading (eventually we will add dictation for comprehension). The other subject rotates and can be anything from handwriting to math to science to geography. Today Fuller did some math (kindergarten concepts, not high school algebra) and announced, “I love math!” I hope he keeps that attitude for years to come.
While we might be a little crazy for beginning this adventure so soon before Baby Two joins the family, it kind of gives us something to keep us occupied while we wait for Baby Two to actually arrive. And since I have to focus on how to keep Fuller focused, it forces me to plan ahead which is something I have needed to do for a while. And as a bonus, I feel like I’m giving Fuller some extra attention and bonding we need before our attention is divided between two sons.
I’ve looked forward to homeschooling our children since before we had them. And now that the day is here, I’m a little giddy with excitement over what the future holds.
Wow. That is great! An ambitious undertaking and an inspiration for me to start something like this with Jonathan!
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May I say, I am jealous of you homeschooling Fuller. I wish that was the thing when my children were growing up. I did teach Danita, her numbers, the alphbet, some reading. Maybe I did better than I think, she never went to first grade. They placed her in second grade when she started school, we were in Hawaii. You and Damon are so good at teaching Fuller. Keep up the good work.
Aunt Nita
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