Teddy Bear Care Fair Today

Just because it's the weekend, doesn't mean "learning" is taking a rest. No, we don't "hit the books" on the weekends, but the process of learning goes on. Today, it took on the form of a field trip to the Teddy Bear Care Fair.

Maddy, Kenna, and I had fun at the Teddy Bear Care Fair this morning! Thanks to Harrisburg Medical Center and WADI for sponsoring such a great event! Upon arriving, the girls "registered" their stuffed animals (Maddy took Ellie the Elephant puppet and Kenna took Honey the Bear). We then proceeded to the nurses station for a check of vitals (where we saw our friend Naomi Hall working), to X-ray where our friend Jennifer (Darnell) was working, to the lab where "blood" was "drawn" from the patients, to surgery where corrective procedures were performed, to respiratory therapy for a breathing treatment, to physical therapy where both patients received a leg splint, and on to be discharged. The kids were lavished with stickers, copies of their animal's X-ray (complete with their heart showing), lab reports, coloring sheets, get well cards, a variety of healthy snacks, a bottle of water, a tongue depressor bookmark, a woven bracelet, and this was all in addition to the little goodie bags they were given. What a terrific program! I can happily report, though returning home with lots of stickers, band-aids, med-wrap, their admission bracelets, and a splint on their leg, both Ellie and Honey are feeling much better after their visit to the Teddy Bear Care Fair!

Day 13 Of K Homeschooling

I take the girls to the library each week. They each choose and check out 4 books and 1 movie. This week, one of the books Maddy checked-out is a Step into Reading + Math book for Preschool - Grade 1. It's called "A Dollar for Penny" written by Dr. Julie Glass. We read it today and I do recommend it. It covers coin recognition and value.

Each morning, after breakfast and before the official homeschooling experience begins, we have family Bible study. Our goal is to read the Bible, cover to cover. Anyone want to tag along? Day 13 of school found us in Genesis 12:1-8, about the call of Abram. Bear in mind, we are reading from the NIV Kids New Adventure Bible by Zondervan so that a kindergartener and preschooler can understand the content. So far, so good. Maddy always has lots of questions and she remembers what we talked about from the previous day.  As we do our Bible study, we are charting the genealogy of the ancestors of Adam and Eve. It's the parents' responsibility to teach their children about God; attending church (while a very good thing) only is intended as a supplement to your home teachings, not the other way around.

We also discovered a wonderful, free art software program called Tux Paint. Our kindergarten computer book, Kindergarten Technology, suggested it - along with Kid Pix, which we have ordered and should be here next week. Both are geared toward the younger children.

Art & Math Can Go Hand-in-Hand

Today's art was necklaces and bracelets made from wood beads. The girls chose their beads, laid out their pattern, and then had fun stringing them. Learning about patterns and sorting the different types and colors of beads also tied our art time into math time.

In math today, the "official" kindergarten lesson was to work with linking cubes to count to 5. Before we got started, Maddy asked if she could write her numbers of the chalkboard. Well, we never did get around to the linking cubes to 5. Maddy started counting and writing her numbers on the board and went all the way to 22 before her hand got tired! Kenna joined in and drew her first perfect square on the board (with the motor skills difficulties she has you would know was a huge deal for her!), which then led to a shapes lesson and the board being filled with circles, squares, and triangles.

In Spanish, Maddy learned her numbers 6 - 10.

Since school began, we have been studying "Children Around The World", focusing on a different country each month. National Geographic for Kids' website has been a tremendous help. The girls have enjoyed watching videos (the volcanoes and acid waterfalls in Russia and the Canadian Rainforest, Home of the Spirit Bear have been their favorite "destinations" so far).

School Day #10

  Today is our 10th day of our homeschooling experience, and we are loving every minute of it! I am so thankful that I have the opportunity to be able to homeschool my children.

  People ask sometimes what a day of Kindergarten homeschool is like. Here's how today went:
1) Up at 6 a.m. to do some housework before time to get the girls up at 6:45 a.m.
2) Sit down to breakfast at 7 a.m. As we are nearing the end of our meal, we had Bible Study (Gen. 9:18 -28, The Sons of Noah). While I do breakfast dishes, the girls get dressed and ready for school.
3) "Morning Meeting" at 8 a.m. This included time for each:  attendance (I mark our chart), calendar (day of the week, month, date, year, and "Count the School Days So Far"), weather (we have a weather chart), Pledges (American, Christian, and Bible), opening prayer, then "A-Manner-A-Day".
4) Art - Today they used markers, glitter glue, and "gemstones" to decorate a wood plaque (Maddy's was a pile of candy and Kenna's was a cupcake).
5)  Math - We used the pictograph we had made earlier in the week and practiced reading a graph. We also explored with Teddy Bear counters (we used Teddy Grahams and snacked along the way, too) and Pattern Blocks.
6)  Handwriting - Practiced printing the letter "E", in both upper and lower cases.
7) Science - Observing everyday, familiar things. Today we took note of "Same and Different".
8) Reading - Read "Marie, Simply Adorable", "Rat-a-tat, Cat", "A Frog in the Bog", and "Let's Eat". We usually only read two books aloud, but the first two are about Disney's Marie from Aristocats and they were very short. "Let's Eat" also helped us explore some new Spanish words. We then worked on labeling objects around the classroom (family room) and living room with those items that begin with the letter we are working on. Also worked with our Leap Frog Word Whammer ( an educational phonics toy). We work on sounding out words and recognizing "sight words" all day long.
9)  Spanish - Continued to practice on the color words.
10) Social Studies - Studied about the children of Russia. Watched a National Geographic Kids video on Russia's volcanoes, and later in the day Maddy sent a postcard depicting a scene from the Russian culture to 6 of her friends/pen pals she just hooked up with this afternoon (all people I know and using our homeschool e-mail account).
11)  Computer - Learned more about digital pictures. Once school is "out" for the day, Maddy practices her mouse skills by playing about 30 minutes of educational computer games.
12)  Music - We did "strike up a note" off and on throughout the day. Singing "Days of the Week" and "Stars and Stripes" during "Morning Meeting", playing children's favorites during lunch break, and listening to music during P.E.
13)  Maddy journals each day in a Primary Journal. She draws her favorite part of the day and then signs her name to the page. I "transcribe" any notes she wants added.
14)  P.E. is the final subject of the official school day. Outside whenever possible, today was drizzling. We used the giant balance ball indoors.

Seems like a lot to fill the day. But remember, I am not having to corral and help a dozen or more children with their worksheets and lessons. Kenna joins in class when she wants to - usually for Bible Study, Morning Meeting, Art, math (especially when there are Teddy Grahams to eat!), reading aloud (takes place in Dad's recliner with the girls on each side snuggled in), and P.E. (good for her balance and legs). Sometimes, computer (she's very impatient and gets frustrated easily because she doesn't have the control she wants to work the mouse, but it'll come). At other times she either does her own playing but comes to me often with "dishes" she's made or to help her with whatever she is playing with. I don't mind the disruptions. Although she is always welcome to join us, I don't push her to do it all...after all she's only 3 and will be doing all this when it's time for her to start kindergarten. She has her own student desk, and her own supplies. Sometimes, she sits at her desk while Maddy and I are doing a subject and colors or plays quietly. Her "school job" right now, as far as I'm concerned, is just to be a kid.

Maddy's First Library Card

While Maddy and Kenna have regularly participated in Miss Alice's Story-Time for preschoolers since August 2010, this year only Kenna gets to attend the Story-Time group.

Maddy, though, spent her time at the library while Kenna was in Story-Time doing her computer lesson. When she went to check out her 4 books, Miss Betty (our head librarian) told Maddy could have her own library card as a kindergartener. Maddy loves reading and was thrilled! She took her new card home, found a purse to "keep it safe in" and we now have a wallet on our shopping list so she will not lose it.

We Pledge...

As part of our "Morning Meeting" time, we cite all three Pledges...

Pledge Of Allegiance

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Christian Pledge

I pledge Allegiance to the Christian Flag and to the Savior for whose kingdom it stands, one brotherhood uniting all mankind in service and love.

Bible Pledge

I pledge allegiance to the Bible, God's Holy Word, I will make it a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path and will hide its words in my heart that I might not sin against God.

Even Preschooler Kenna joins us during our "Morning Meeting." She loves "pledging her allegiance", too!

 

Maddy's Birthday!

  This week was Maddy's birthday! Turning 6 is a big day for little girls! Although we did celebrate with Birthday Pancakes, a Birthday Brownie for lunch, presents, and more, we still made sure we got in our full school day. The kids' party is later in the week.

Olympic Picnic After Homeschool

On Monday (sorry, just now having time to organize pictures), after our homeschooling day experience we gathered with about 6 other families for an "Olympic Meet & Greet Picnic" hosted by our local WADI, who works with McKenna once a week through home visits. The kids had a great time and the adults got the chance to visit, too. Thanks to Miss Angel and all the WADI staff who provided a delicious ham roll-up meal for everyone!

The Teacher Has Class

Maddy thought it quite funny, and loved the idea of her "skipping" school on Friday so that she and Kenna could stay with Nana and Papa for the day while I went to the local junior college to take the first day of a 2-day Food Service Sanitation class. Even the thought having to "make up" her work didn't bother her.

When I came home from the 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. class with homework on the first day, Maddy again thought it was funny. I wasn't laughing as hard - I had 112 pages to read, 33 essay questions to answer, and was supposed to be at the Friends Trivia Night to help with concessions and I was in charge of the Table Decoration Contest at 5 p.m.. Maddy offered to help me with my homework, and I may have taken her up on it (well, probably not) except that she was already in bed by the time I got back home from the Trivia competition. The girls had stayed home with Alan. I got started immediately on my homework (actually took it with me to the Trivia, but there was no time for studying there, plus a storm came through and the power went out in the town...but they continued to play Trivia thanks to cell-phone lights and flashlights). Enjoyed Pizza Rolls the girls had left me for my supper while reading. When the instructor told us it would take, at a minimum, 2 to 2 1/2 hours to do our work, he was serious. It was 2 a.m. before I was finished - 5 hours! A friend of mine who also took the class and was in charge to the Trivia concessions, told me she was up past 2:30 a.m. and didn't get her questions finished.

But I am very happy to report that, although our grades from the state won't be back for 4 - 6 weeks, I am confident that I passed the Food Service Sanitation test. Which means now I go apply (once the Certificate comes back) for my Cottage Operations permit. My goal is to be able to sell baked goods and produce at our local Friends Farmers Market to bring in a little extra income. My ultimate goal is become a licensed facility so that I can also create and sell my own spice and tea mixtures (and start a small family business). Little steps while homeschooling a kindergartener with a 3 year old, too. But one of these days...

Counting - And Eating - Bears

Math & Mexico

Just a glimpse at our homeschooling experience today...

In math we used pattern blocks again. After putting together various triangles, squares, and rectangles, and then being told to "make something with your pattern blocks that is different from what you did yesterday," our 5-year old came up with this. Can you see the turkey? I'll give you a hint:  it's wearing a hat. Still don't see it? Try this view: 4 tail feathers, the body, the head with the hat on it, and 2 legs. Good job Maddy!

and...

During Social Studies, we learned about the children of Mexico. We discussed how the children in Mexico and the U.S. are alike and different, their clothing (sombreros, ponchos/serapes, and Maddy has a hand-made dress from Mexico), some customs of Mexico, their language (which Spanish is one of our regular subjects), their food, and about Cinco de Mayo (celebrated by local Mexican restaurants). And of course, what study of Mexico's children would be complete without piñatas (Diego and a monkey)? We also located Mexico on the both the world map and on the North American map.

Maddy's Spanish, in two days, has reached...
      ¡Hola!
     ¿Cómo te llamas?
     Me llamo Madison.
     ¿Cómo estás?
     Either:  Bien.    or     Mal.     or     Así, así.
     ¡Adiós!

First Day Of School

We had a great first day at Sisney H.O.U.S.E. When I went in to wake the girls up, they both jumped up, all excited and ready to go. They enjoyed Maddy's favorite link sausage and biscuits for breakfast (both declined eggs or anything to go with it). We had our Bible study on Genesis 1. Both eagerly got dressed for school and we were ready for our 8 a.m. "Morning Meeting" a few minutes early.

Our Morning Meeting consisted of attendance, calendar (day, week, month, and school day count), our weather chart, the Pledges (American, Christian, & Bible), prayer, and then "A Manner A Day".

The rest of our day included art, math, handwriting, science, reading, Spanish, social studies, computer, music, journaling, and P.E.

When we started out for our first recess break, Kenna informed me, "We can't go to recess! You don't have a whistle!"

And we finished just 17 minutes over our projected "school's out" time of 3 p.m.. Not bad for a first day!

The room is ready! So am I!

The desks have been moved into the family room, the chalkboard wall is drying, and the bulletin board is in place. The "Alphabet and Numbers" posters are in place on the wall and on the desks. Students' names are on their desk (even though Kenna is still preschool age - at 3 -  she also has a desk that she may "join" in anytime she would like to).

The nervousness at being out of practice of homeschooling and at teaching a kindergartener has subsided and the enthusiasm has kicked in. Maddy' s excitement over the first day of school arriving is contagious! Can't wait to get started!

Vintage School Desks

Went by a friend's home (they bought an abandoned junior high) and picked up 2 vintage student desks and wood chairs. This was a local junior high school that my husband went to and Maddy and Kenna thought it was so neat to get desks that their Dad may have used "to school in". We plan on cleaning them then painting them, but for the first day of school on Tuesday, they may be used "as is". A busy weekend!

Oops! Forgot the Grade Book!

Just realized that I have all our curriculum for Sisney H.O.U.S.E. to begin on Tuesday except my grade book. Don't know how I neglected to get that included in with one of my several orders! Especially since I had the one I wanted in my "Wish List" on amazon.com. Thankfully, there is a teacher supply store in the mall in a town about 40 minutes from me. Will be going to the mall this weekend!

I use a regular teacher's grade book, one for each child. I tear out the pages I don't need (seating assignment, etc.) and write all the subjects for the year on one page, skipping a space or two between my filled-in lines. Each year takes 4 of the "opened up" pages, one for each quarter. This way, I can use the same grade book for grade school, using another book for junior high and high school. Keeps grading records together and within reach.

Year's Lesson Plan Done!

Cutting it close to the finish line (or I should say the first day of school), but I have completely finished our Kindergarten Lesson Plans for the entire school year. Got a late start on them, because I was afraid if I worked on them anticipating homeschooling this year, that I would "jinx" us and our adoption would not be finalized until after the public school had began. Our adoption was final on July 20th, which then has just given me a little over a month to get in gear and get our year planned out. And the year is looking great!

I realize there will be days when our plans will be disrupted, but that's OK. We just will "go with the flow" and make up the missed work and get back on track. That's the best thing about homeschooling. You can arrange your schedule and your lesson plans to fit into your day. Such as I have a Food Sanitation Certification Class coming up. In my lesson plans, I only "number" my lessons instead of assigning a specific date to them. I do this for a couple of reasons: 1) so that should something come up and we miss being able to homeschool for a day or two and can not get it caught up, then we simply can start where we left off and our school year is a day or two longer than originally planned, 2) so that I can use these same plans for Kenna when she is ready to start school, and 3) it also helps me - especially this Kindergarten year - keep track of our school days as we count to Day 100.

Disclaimer:  Our recommendations are based on solely on our personal opinions and are not intended to be used as legal advice. This blog lists helpful websites, books, groups, etc. that we have found during our research on the subject of homeschooling in the State of Illinois. Before making the decision to homeschool your children, you should do your own research (our initial research was a 7-month long process) and seek legal advice concerning the homeschooling laws pertaining to your home state.

Eclectic: The Best Of All Worlds...Er, Approaches

We are an eclectic homeschooling family, which simply means that we select what we think is "the best" of all the various approaches, "the best" of all the curriculum choices, and "the best" way to schedule our school day and year. By "the best", we don't mean that we have our nose up in the air and looking down on all the other available choices. We mean "the best fit" for our family, our circumstances, and our efforts.

I like the "work smarter, not harder" motto. So, it makes sense to only use what you find works for your children's learning abilities, your budget, your teaching style, and your "hope to achieve" goals. There are many things to take into account when planning your homeschool year. What worked this year may not work at all next year. Each child has different interests they should be allowed to pursue. As your family grows, so will the way you homeschool change.

How eclectic are we? Well, let's see...From the Charlotte Mason approach we love daily journaling (especially science observations), nature studies and books (our library is about to outgrow our home!). From the Classical approach, we think it's important to teach your children to learn for themselves. From the Delight Directed approach, we feel it's not only important to allow your child to pursue their personal interest but that "hands-on" learning is fun! We incorporate a lot of the kids' 4-H projects into our homeschooling experience. From the Principle approach, we think our children should learn the truth about our country's history and how/why America was founded. Our faith, beliefs, and moral values are a big part of our homeschooling. We use traditional textbooks (some ordered from the same companies the public schools use). We do not use any one prepackaged grade level curriculum. We incorporate unit studies sometimes while pursuing the child's interest, sometimes to cover an event, holiday, or country, and sometimes based on a book (like the American Girl series). We use dictionaries and the National Spelling Bee website for spelling and vocabulary words. We drive our librarian crazy tracking down books for us. And the technology and ease of finding homeschool resources, many of them free, makes the internet an invaluable tool.

The one school approach that we are not a fan of is the "Unschooling Approach". For some it may work out great and their children have gone on to earn college degrees and have fantastic jobs. That being said, we have met families who are claiming to be homeschooling but in reality refuse to send their children to public school but have literally "turned the kids loose" and do not accomplish anything in the sense of educating their children. Perhaps as a child gets older and matures, a completely student-directed approach may work. Maybe my children are the exceptions, but starting in kindergarten they need to be guided into their studies and "taught" their subjects. Otherwise, the Sisney H.O.U.S.E. kindergarten would be a day full of playing with "My Little Ponies" and singing along with Craig Morgan. Those things are fine at appropriate times.

Everyone has a different style and personality. Your homeschooling experience will reflect that. Just do your research. When (and it is when, not if) you try something that does not work, don't think of it as a failure. Make a note - whether mental or on paper - of why you think it didn't work then ponder on it until you find the next possible solution to try. Sometimes, it really is a matter of trial-and-error. The important thing is to not keep pushing down a "dead end" path. Just because something worked great for another family doesn't mean it has to be your approach, too.

More "To Do" Done

School calender - check. Our 2012 - 2013 school year officially begins on September 4, 2012 (day after Labor Day) and will end on May 24, 2013. School will be in session for 172 days. We'll be taking a week of vacation, a week of Easter break, and a week of Christmas break. We do not take off any of the state and federal holidays, such as Columbus Day, President's Day, Veteran's Day, etc. Instead we choose to hold school on those days and study about the events and perhaps go on field trips pertaining to the holiday (such as a Veteran's Day Observance). Nor do we miss school days due to "snow days". This allows us to begin school after Labor Day rather than in mid-August like the public schools and we still end school before Memorial Day.

While our library held a preschool reading club, no other ages were offered. I was one of the charter members of our local Friends of the Library group, and we were able to establish some other age-appropriate reading clubs. I, along with one of the public school kindergarten teachers whom I am good friends with, have volunteered to lead a kindergarten reading club this year. It will meet once a week at 3:15.

All our curriculum has arrived, except for our math manipulatives and our phonics, both on back order but should be here before the first day of class. Work continues on lesson plans and almost have my school year plans complete. These are down in a spiral notebook, but can be easily changed should it be necessary.

We began reading to our kids from the time they were little. Start with vinyl and/or cardboard books (infants love chewing on things) and work your way up to the classics from there.

Make weekly trips to your library. Check to see if they have reading programs available (if they don't already have one for your child's age group, volunteer to lead one!).

Right now, at ages 5 & 3, some of the favorites are:
     Pinkalicious books
     Walt Disney movie books
     Seven Little Monsters books
     Curious George books
     anything about animals
     children's cookbooks

Sisney H.O.U.S.E. Handbook

Finally! 16 pages of 10-point font, but it is finished. The 2012 Sisney H.O.U.S.E. Handbook is done. No, not required, but we did one when we homeschooled the older girls so that, to help them learn accountability (they were starting 5th 7th grades when we began our homeschool journey), they had to read it and sign a form saying they had indeed read the Handbook entirely and understood its content. If there was a question of conflict about a rule, all I had to do was remind them "it's in the Handbook" and make them look it up and reread it. Homeschool handbooks are also handy, should the occasion arise, in dealing with state officials with questions concerning our homeschool practices. We figured we could just hand them a copy of our Handbook rather than spend hours answering questions. I had the old Handbook saved but have spent a few days updating and revising it.

By the way, and I have to find my old notes on this subject, but if you are new to homeschooling in Illinois, and the school does send a truant officer to your do, you do not have to allow them access to your home without a search warrant. However, if you are thinking you'll "be nice about it" and allow them in, know this:  once you allow them in without a search warrant, the officer has the right to search anything that is not locked up, whether it pertains to homeschool or your personal life. I'll blog more on that subject later, after referring back to my notes (I'm a little out of practice). I do recommend that you keep all your homeschool records in a locked filing cabinet, in a room that has a lock on the door, and never let any public official in your home in regards to your homeschool without a search warrant. I'm thinking (again, have to look that up), that you don't have to turn anything over to the school officials in Illinois, that the only person you have to turn records over to is a judge should the local public school press the issue.

Home-schooling in Illinois is considered to be a form of private education. While there are not as many restrictions and laws as other states, in Illinois parents who choose to educate their children at home are under a legal obligation to meet the minimum requirements stated in Illinois’ Compulsory Attendance Law (Section 26-1 of the Illinois School Code). Go to HSLDA's summary of the Illinois laws on homeschooling for more information.

Green Card Arrived Today

The green "Return Receipt" card arrived back to us today, meaning that the public school received our Withdrawal Letter.

Have been working on the "getting started" stuff that goes along with homeschooling. Our kindergarten Computer Tech and The World Around Us arrived today. Finishing up the year's lesson plans. And still trying to finish all the organizing from where we moved 2 rooms around to set up a library/computer lab/office (Afton's old room) and our classroom (half of the family room). September 4th is approaching fast!

Mission Statement & Statement of Faith

Our Mission Statement

  The mission of Sisney H.O.U.S.E. is to provide our children with a Christian and patriotic, as well as academically sound and challenging, quality education in our home, teaching them to follow Christ in every aspect of their life. To encourage one another on to personal excellence.

  To develop and strengthen an active understanding of, and loyalty to, the Christian faith. To build strong family ties by promoting mutual love, trust, and respect for each other, by praying, encouraging, laughing with, and crying with one another until and beyond the point that each person is able to stand life’s trials without falling, by loving unconditionally, forgiving without keeping score, comforting at a moment’s notice, and lifting one another up always. To keep an open mind to new ideas and amend our customs and traditions as needed to pass a positive heritage to our next generation.

  To create a family life that will be missed when we are absent, one to be mirrored as our children leave and establish their own home blessed with a spouse and children of their own.

  To strive to be good neighbors and to support our community by actively participating in service projects. To seek and support ways in which each of us can express our faith in God to the world at large.

  To, with God’s help, make a difference.

Our Statement of Faith

“If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.”     Mark 3:25

We believe…

1)       The Bible to be inspired by God, to be infallible, the one and only Authority for life.

2)       That there is only one God, eternally existing in three separate Entities (the Trinity): Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

3)       In the deity of Jesus, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His sacrificial and atoning death on the cross, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension into Heaven to the right hand of His Father, and in His final return in power and glory on Judgment Day.

4)       Man was created in God’s image, but fell into sin through disobedience and must be born-again through the Holy Spirit to have eternal life.

5)       The ministry of the Holy Spirit is to convict men, and to dwell in, guide, instruct, and empower His believers for a life and service to bring honor and glory to the Lord.

6)       In the bodily resurrection of the dead in Christ, to an eternal life with the Lord and of those lost to a judgment and everlasting life of torment and punishment in Hell.

7)       In the spiritual unity of believers of our Lord.

8)       That we have been endowed by our creator, the One True Lord, “with certain unalienable rights, that among those are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” (Quoted from the Constitution of the United States)

9)       In a Constitutional Republic as set up by our founding fathers and the responsibilities inherent in such upon its citizens.

10)   That individual responsibility and a free economy are the best ways to achieve the highest standard of living for all men.

11)   In combating Socialism, Communism, and all other forms of tyranny alien to our way of life.

Family Mission Statement

To help our family decide on what to include in our family’s Mission Statement, here are some questions to we have each person answer at the beginning of each school year to get us thinking along the right lines. We started using this with Alayna and Afton, and will continue to do so as our new homeschool journey begins with Maddy and Kenna. Our mission statement didn't change much, if at all, from year to year with the older girls, but it also makes a great keepsake showing the personality and feeling of each child as they matured.

Ask each family member to finish each sentence. Then use all the responses to get started on your Family Mission Statement. Remember, as families grow and change, needs and goals change as well, so review your Family Mission Statement each year.

Our Family Is Unique! 

1)  We Are…

2)  We Believe…

3)  We Dream…

4)  We Want…

5)  We Worry About…

6)  We Wonder About…

7)  We Weep For…

8)  We Support…

Maddy's Answers To "Our Family Is Unique!"

2012 - Kindergarten

We Are…the Sisney’s! (with a huge smile on her face)

We Believe…in God

We Dream…fairies, unicorns, snakes biting Daddy

We Want…everything

We Worry About…Daddy everywhere he goes in his big truck, but God is with him

We Wonder About…the stars

We Weep For…family, people at the food pantry

We Support…our church and our library and the food pantry when we volunteer there

Official Withdrawal Letter Sent

Our "official" Withdrawal Letter has been sent to our public school district. Our circumstances are probably a little different than most families. Our adoption of our youngest two daughters was finalized in July 2012. Up until that time, they were in the Foster Care System. Children in Illinois  Foster Care between the ages of 3 and 5 are required to be in either daycare or preschool.  They are also required to attend public school so, even though the social services knew we intended to homeschool, we could not begin our homeschool journey until we had those adoption papers in our hands. July was cutting it close. We did not want to have to start Maddy in public school then pull her out again.

I am not a big fan of pre-k. I understand that there are some children who truly need it. But I feel like it has become, like kindergarten (remember when kindergarten was only a half-day?) a baby-sitter. Last year was Maddy's THIRD year to be in pre-k. When Kenna turned 4, Maddy's afternoon pre-k class was full and we "lucked out" that there was an opening in the morning class; otherwise, we would have been forced to place Kenna in daycare and would have had to pay for it out of our own pocket (the state would not pay for her being in childcare, even though it would've been a "requirement" because I did not work or go to school). I argued that, since I do not work nor did I want to "get the kids out of my hair", they should not have to go to either pre-k or daycare. Too bad. The first half of the year, I met myself coming and going - Kenna had to be at school at 8 a.m., picked up at 10:25 a.m., home in time to fix their lunch, Maddy had to be at school at 12:15 p.m. and picked up at 2:25 p.m.. Thankfully, before the year was over, there was an opening in the a.m. class and we moved Maddy into Kenna's class. The girls' pre-k teacher was great, and we love her to death and have become good friends. But...

This school year, our adoption is final, and we ARE homeschooling. And McKenna is NOT going to pre-k. It's been a great summer and we've been able to get back to doing "stuff" we have always done before we had to go to pre-k (crafts, reading, cooking, playing, etc.). But I digress...

Our "official" Withdrawal Letter was sent, certified with returned receipt, on August 17th. According to USPS tracking, the school received notification that they had a registered letter to pick up on August 18th and that it was delivered on August 20, today. Should receive our little green card tomorrow or the next day.

If you are planning on homeschooling, I recommend that you mail - certified with a return receipt (the green card they sign and gets sent back to you) - a Withdrawal Letter to your public school district. A sample copy of one we used can be seen by clicking on the "The Withdrawal Letter" page on the right-hand sidebar of this blog.

To Blog Or Not To Blog

Debated on whether or not we should do a homeschool blog. Truth is, there doesn't always seem to be enough hours in the day to keep up with another "to do" task. Another truth is that there are definitely some major advantages as well as some major disadvantages to hosting a blog of your own personal homeschool experiences. After carefully weighing them all, and knowing that we are conducting Sisney H.O.U.S.E. well within the homeschooling laws of Illinois, I decided that we would blog to give ourselves yet another source of written records pertaining to our homeschooling. This blog will give family and friends (especially those who remain skeptical on our decision/ability to homeschool) a way to stay up-to-date on what's going on at Sisney H.O.U.S.E.  

If you are considering whether or not to blog about your homeschool experiences, the following article may help in your decision making:  http://heartofthematteronline.com/should-you-start-a-homeschooling-blog/

Here We Go Again!

It's been awhile since we homeschooled. Alayna and Afton have grown and are out of the house now. We pulled them from the public school system as they were entered their 7th & 5th grade years, respectively. Our homeschool, Sisney H.O.U.S.E., began it's journey after 7 months of research into homeschooling and a final decision that it was the best path to take. We do not regret homeschooling them. Our H.O.U.S.E., an acronym for Home Oriented Unique Schooling Experience, set off and with a month's break between each grade level (along with time off for Spring Break, Christmas, & 4-H Shows, etc.) was in session year-round. Both girls graduated from high school at age 16 and began classes at the local junior college. Both scored well, in fact above-average, on their college entrance exams. So we figure that although, we did make mistakes along the way (you learn from them and move on using a different approach/technique) but judging by the successful of the girls' entering college, we are assuming we must have done a pretty good job of homeschooling. Afton graduated from Sisney H.O.U.S.E. on August 13, 2009. So it's been right at three years...

Here we go again! Our youngest daughters, Maddy & Kenna, will soon be turning 6 & 4. Maddy starts Kindergarten this year! After a lot of discussion and prayer, we decided that we would once again homeschool our children. Yes, we're a little out of practice. But we also remember well the lessons we learned about what did and did not work in our homeschooling. As we begin a new homeschool journey with Maddy, I'm sure we will make mistakes, learn from them, consider our options, and "get back on the horse" and follow a new path.

Maddy is excited to know that her house is going to be "school". She and Kenna have been helping this summer as we have organized and set up a "classroom" in half of the family room, a study/computer lab, and of course all the necessary play stations for "hands-on" exploring. I'm excited, too, because I truly loved the time together that homeschooling grants our family, especially Alan. With a flexible schedule, the girls get to spend so much more time with "teacher/principal Dad" as we arrange some of their lessons and activities around Alan's schedule.

Homeschooling is a journey, yes, but we look at it as an adventure full of learning, new experiences, and fun rather than a sit-at-a-desk-all-day, dreaded school time. You are more than welcome to follow along, right here on our new blog!