Our First Semester of Home School Comes To An End!

Wow, I can't believe it. Moments ago we closed our last textbook for the spring 2013 semester. What a journey this has been! When our family made the decision in the fall to move to New Jersey, we all agreed that we would use this move as a great time to begin homeschooling. As with everything in life, we began this journey with the mindset of "one day at a time." Several have asked what our plans are for next year and the year after and our response--we are taking one day at a time. I must admit, I was scared to death to take on this new responsibility. I quickly learned that it is much easier and less stressful to send my kiddos off each morning, leaving this task to the professionals. There seems to be a big weight on your shoulders (for this Mama anyway) when you realize that your child's success (or lack thereof) is completely in your hands. While it took us a couple of weeks to figure things out and get in a "groove," the remaining weeks and months have turned into complete joy. I can honestly say that of the past ten years of my children’s' lives, these past five months have been some of the most enjoyable for me. Were there days that were tough? Absolutely! But the joy that I have had in teaching them and, more importantly, watching them learn has been one of my most fulfilling and greatest accomplishments to date as a Mom.

As of today, our plans are to attend the New Jersey Homeschool Convention on Friday and then anxiously await the beginning of the fall semester in September. I've quickly learned that homeschool looks very different for every family who decides to embark on this adventure. For us, we have had a bit of an advantage because of the amazing school that we left behind in St Joseph, MO. When we pulled our kids out of school in December to move, the school very graciously sent all of their textbooks with us so that we could pick up right where they left off. We've also continued to receive emails from the teacher every week letting us know what the class lesson plans are for that week. While that has been a huge help to us, we quickly realized we could go at a faster pace. We've done what the classroom has done in a few subjects, but by going at a little faster pace, we managed to complete all of the work in our textbooks today. Subjects that we have covered this semester are Handwriting, Phonics, Spelling, Language, Math, Science, Social Studies, Reading, Religion, Computers, Piano, Guitar and of course, this blog...Writing. Our morning begins at 7am! Yes, my children are definitely morning people and finishing each day by 2pm. We covered all of our subjects every day except our blog writing, which has been one of our Tuesday assignments.

We also made the decision to make Fridays our day outside of the classroom. Fridays are Aaron's day off so we have typically tried to use this day for fieldtrips. We've been blessed to go on some amazing fieldtrips seeing places like Washington, DC, SeaLife Aquarium, the 9-11 Memorial, NYC landmarks, museums, and the list goes on and on. We've enjoyed some fun science experiments and have had a lot of fun with the Robb Family Multiplication Game Show. Checking-out ten books from the library each week has been one of the trio's favorite activities and keeping prayer and Bible reading part of our school each day has been a huge blessing to all of us.

In wrapping up this morning, I shared with the kids we were having a quiz. I know I have enjoyed our time together, but thought this would be a great way to get some of their thoughts on the last few months. They were asked ten questions and I’ve posted their answers below.

 

Katie's Quiz

What was your favorite subject during your first semester of homeschool?   Math

What was your least favorite subject?   Language

Of all the subjects we studied, what was your favorite topic that we studied?   Multiplication

What was your favorite homeschool field trip or event?   Aquarium

Of everything we did, what was your favorite part about being homeschooled?   Spending time with my Mom.

Of everything we did, what was your least favorite part about being homeschooled?   Dealing with Windows 8 during computer time.

What is one topic you would really be interested in studying when we start school this fall?   Art

What is one thing you would like to see us change for next year?   Not having computers.

What would your dream homeschool lunch be?   Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Who is the world’s best teacher?   Mom :) :) :)

Kelsie's Quiz

What was your favorite subject during your first semester of homeschool?   Spelling

What was your least favorite subject?   Math

Of all the subjects we studied, what was your favorite topic that we studied?   Learning how to make a budget.

What was your favorite homeschool field trip or event?   Aquarium

Of everything we did, what was your favorite part about being homeschooled?   Getting finished with school before everyone else.

Of everything we did, what was your least favorite part about being homeschooled?   Not seeing my friends every day.

What is one topic you would really be interested in studying when we start school this fall?   History

What is one thing you would like to see us change for next year?   I would like to go on more fieldtrips.

What would your dream homeschool lunch be?   Lasagna Rolls

Who is the world’s best teacher?   Mom!!! :) :) :)

Caleb's Quiz

What was your favorite subject during your first semester of homeschool?   Handwriting

What was your least favorite subject?   Social Studies

Of all the subjects we studied, what was your favorite topic that we studied?  Space and the Solar System

What was your favorite homeschool field trip or event?   The Aquarium

Of everything we did, what was your favorite part about being homeschooled?   Fieldtrip Fridays

Of everything we did, what was your least favorite part about being homeschooled?  The one week I didn't get my work done and had to go to Friday school.

What is one topic you would really be interested in studying when we start school this fall?   Space

What is one thing you would like to see us change for next year?   A new homeschool room (He is ready for us to buy a house. He wants a tree house at the new house and our classroom to move to the tree house)

What would your dream homeschool lunch be?   Steak and Mac-n-Cheese

Who is the world’s best teacher?   My Mom :) :) :)

After grading those quizzes (paying special attention to the last question - lol), I think it’s safe to say our first semester was a success. I can't close this blog entry without saying how thankful I am. First and foremost, I am so thankful to God. Homeschooling has been one more example of how faithful He is and what a true joy it is knowing that we have been obedient to his calling, despite sometimes difficult situations. I give Him all the praise for bringing us to this point and for blessing us in ways we could have never imagined. Finally, a huge thanks to my amazing hubby. His love, support and encouragement through this journey is yet one more reason I am so thankful he is mine. Thanks Aaron Robb, for all that you have done and all that you are. I love you!

 



Our last day of this semester - a little excited we are finished with all of those textbooks behind us!