When Will We Start?

When are you starting?

That's the question everyone's asking!

Some people have already started, even way up north here in Michigan. But not us! We're not hitting the books just yet.

A lot of my friends are beginning their lessons on the day after Labor Day - September 8th - but not us! I am going to a book sale on 9/8 and another on 9/9. Trying to make some money!

We will have our first "official" day on 9/10. Our first day is traditionally ice cream sundaes for lunch and a treasure hunt to find our new school supplies. 9/11 is our first day of our new co-op year.

So, it looks like we'll start in earnest on Monday 9/14.

What time is it? Summertime! It's our vacation!

We finished our lessons for the year before Memorial Day, but I realized I never posted an "end-of-the-year" post here. I consider my kids "done" with the "school year" at this point, but the learning never stops. lol

David has a few things to finish before fall and I need to make him a list. He will have completed a year of high school American history by then, so he'll already have one credit under his belt. He'll be partly done with Algebra 1 by then too.

We will continue doing math and reading throughout the summer, mostly on days that are grey and lonely. If there's a chance to go anywhere and do anything and the weather is decent, we take the opportunity! I expect that the lessons to days-off ratio will be somewhere around 2:3 throughout the summer, maybe 3:2 for the older kids.

Bible study will continue - a great way to begin our days! I also plan to assign each child a map study packet and we'll repeat our Child Survival Skills unit since James and Suzy were quite a bit younger when we did that the first time.

I'm going to take a cue from my friend Jennifer and have the kids earn points to turn in for rewards. The details of that are sketchy at this point, but I'll share them once I have them nailed down. Maybe I can do that yet today.

So, the kids have completed their school years - David finished 8th grade, Emily completed 6th grade, and Suzy finished 1st grade. James is partway through 4th; his is an odd situation and I have a blog post about him started.

So, bring on the sunshine and warmth! We're ready for Beach Days and camping!

What time is it?
Summertime...
School's out, scream and shout!

It's not "school."

You may notice that I avoid the words "home school" or "homeschooling" here on the Cornerstone Home Learning blog.

I don't "do" school at home.

The word conjures up images of textbooks, blackboards, rows of desks, tests, and more representations of traditional school-based education.

My children do not learn that way.

Tests are not a regular part of our learning process. We limit the textbooks and prefer to learn from real books (which are here in abundance). There are no desks - learning happens everywhere. Math is just as likely to be done sitting in the recliner or laying on the floor as at the table. I don't stand and teach at a blackboard (or a whiteboard), although the kids do use chalkboards and dry erase boards often.

For many people, the word "school" holds negative connotations. For just about everyone, hearing the word "school" brings up a set of expectations.

So, to remind myself, my family, and others of the intentional differences in our home learning and traditional school, I don't often use the word "school" but I do find many other ways to describe what we do.

Lessons.
Learning.
Home learning.
Education.
Taught at home.

It's freeing. Maybe you'll give it a try too!