homeschooling my littles

i began homeschooling eleanor last year for kindergarten, officially. unofficially, i have always tried to educate her the best i can since birth and will do the same with wolfgang using the montessori method. last year i purchased and used the calvert curriculum for eleanor. there are many methods and programs out there to help you home school your children. to be honest, going into her kindergarten year was very intimidating and overwhelming for me. being a person who went to public school, i knew very little about how to home school. with some research, help from other homeschooling mothers and phone calls to our board of education, i figured it out. i would say that our first year went well, although we have plenty of growing to do. the calvert curriculum was exceptionally easy to use and they provide you with all of the materials you will need throughout the year. all of the lessons are written out for you. for example, lesson 1 is day 1 and so on. i highly recommend calvert to someone who is new to home school. we will be using their curriculum again this year for first grade.

eleanor also participates in classes outside the home as well, so that way she is able to be around other children and develop social skills. this is especially important for her since she does not have any siblings close in age. on tuesdays she goes to an art class at rosewood art center in a neighboring town. on wednesdays she attends ballet and tap class. and on thursdays she studies french at rosewood. she also participates in seasonal classes as well ... swimming in the spring and ice skating in the winter.

as for wolfgang, last year he was just freshly born so he did not participate in home school. only slept or nursed the whole time! this year i will begin the montessori method for the ages 0-3. this consists of activities that help develop sensory and motor skills. for example: giving him 5 small toys such as hot wheel cars and teaching him how to put them all into a bowl, dump the bowl and do it again. and again and again until he is able to do it on his own.  i am so excited to include him in class this year and will be back with other activities i find work really well for a child his age!

now for a bit of honesty ... homeschooling is tough. real tough, but also extremely rewarding. there were many days i broke down and sat sobbing with my husband saying, "i can't do it." there were many days that eleanor and i were at each other's throats. there were many nights i went to bed feeling like i failed her in every way possible. BUT there were also many days that her and i jumped up and down, shouting hoorays because she sounded a big word out on her own or completed a math problem correctly that she had been struggling with. and on those nights, i went to bed feeling so gratified. telling myself that we are doing fine and she is learning. i know that this year will also be tough at times, but i know she will learn and we will grow together. i think it is important to find an outlet such as a homeschooling group or another home school family to hang out with on time to time. that way, on those days you feel like you are drowning ... you won't be alone and will have others rooting for you.