Homeschool Ramblings

I thought I'd go ahead and update how our new year is going along! Ezra is using My Father's World 1st Grade, and we are really loving it. Isaac is weeks away from finishing Adventures, and then, for him, we're not going to jump straight into the next program (which would be Exploring Countries and Cultures (ECC), a year long focus on World Geography and Missions). Instead, I'm going to go back to a more eclectic style, until Ezra is done with 1st. Once Ezra is done with 1st (probably around January, or so) we are excited to start ECC!

For Isaac, some things we'll be using are 3rd grade Rod & Staff Reading (I really love how Bible centered Rod and Staff curriculum is!), Apologia Elementary Science (finishing the Astronomy we started last year), continue math with Math-U-See Beta and Spanish with Rosetta Stone, and also introduce some logic and typing skills! We'll also be getting some United States geography games to help hone everyone's skills in remembering states and capitals. While I'm looking forward to moving into ECC, I'm also excited to have a little time to do our "own" thing outside of the curriculum "box".

This was something I wrestled with for a while. I really enjoy My Father's World curriculum - I like how its entirely focused on learning about and serving the Lord, helping children and families become mission-minded. The lessons are wonderfully age-appropriate, short for young attention spans, the activities are fun but not overwhelming to prepare for, and overall, very enriching.

However, being the perfectionist I am, I really struggled with "marking off the boxes" - feeling pressured to get it "all" done, and if I somehow got thrown off schedule, trying to fit everything back in - while the daily schedule is a wonderful guide, my perfectionism has struggled with it and feeling like I have to do it all "just so". I also struggled with juggling two programs (first, Kindergarten and Adventures, now 1st and Adventures) for the same reasons - I didn't want to leave ANY of the wonderful learning opportunities out, which leads to a very full (and sometimes overwhelming) day!

I definitely feel this is an aspect of my personality that I need to tone down some in order to be a better homeschooling mom! So I freely admit its *me* and not the curriculum itself. That being said, I am both excited for some time "out of the box" and also looking forward to returning to that structure when both children can be in the same program together!