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.
Friday, August 31, 2012
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
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.
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.
Saturday, August 25, 2012
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.
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.
Friday, August 24, 2012
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.
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.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
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.
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.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
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!
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
Monday, August 20, 2012
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.
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.
Sunday, August 19, 2012
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/
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!
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!
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