Well, Vance Tales is back in business, and I am officially
relieving Dave of his summer blogging.
Dave decided to aim for one blog a week this summer, as one a day was
too time consuming. However, he found
this approach really hard. He likes to
narrate details, and so looking at all the materials and pictures of ALL the
family for a whole week was a bit overwhelming.
I think he decided that for NEXT summer he will go back to the daily
format, but just do a “highlight of the day.”
I do believe, however, that he has one more post he is working on
putting up by the end of the week. It’s
about our 2 week vacation back to the East Coast we returned from a week ago.
So, I won’t say a ton about it. But, I will say a few things. This year, I think we struck a good balance
of catching up with people, spending time with family, doing activities, AND
trying to relax. We really could have
just GONE GONE and GONE each day, but accepted that we wouldn’t be able to
catch up with all our old friends each summer we are home. Or DO all the activities on our list EACH
summer. So! For those darling people we
would have REALLY liked to see and didn’t get a chance this summer: We’ll look
YOU up next time J
I felt pretty sad about leaving NB this time around. Even though the kids all seem to start to
break down a bit approaching the 2 week mark, I just didn’t want to leave! Most years I hit the point where I am ready
for my own bed and house and to get back at things.... But, this year the open
spaces, the piney breeze, the friendly smiles, and our dear families were just
a pulling on my heart strings. Anyways,
it was a great 2 weeks, and we made some memories and had some great moments
that I am sure will never fade from my aging brain.
So, we’ve been in Ottawa for a week now, and my time has
been spent getting ready for the transition to fall. It came a bit early as Dave went back to work
on Tuesday, and I start watching children out of my home tomorrow! I
have one of my part timers start at 7:30 AM, along with his older sister. She will just be joining us for a few weeks
before her school starts, as well as a handful of PD days here and there over
the school year. This little guy will be
with me Monday, Wednesdays and some Fridays.
Then, in September, I have 2
brothers starting with us on Tuesdays.
And then in October, one little guy who will be here one day a week...switching
between Wednesdays and Fridays. They are
all wonderful kids from AMAZING families that are looking for a Happy and
Christian Home with other kids to send their kids just a few times a week.
So, this week, I have been putting into practice the fall
routine with Jesse, Janna, and Robyn. I
waffled between many daily schedules and I am sure this will need to be
tweaked, but here is the run down for the upcoming days. It is all printed out and posted on each
floor of the house, and I am interested in seeing how things will go!
DAILY SCHEDULE
7:00-7:30 Breakfast
7:30-7:45 Kids dressed/teeth/faces/diapers
7:45-8:15 Daily chores
8:15-9:15 Free Play: Basement Play Room
(Babies nap 9-10)
9:15-9:30 Organized game
9:30-10 Art
10:00-10:15 Snack
10:15-10:30 Bathroom break/diapers/Outdoor prep
10:30-11:30 Daily
Excursion (Park, Friends place, Library, Ikea?? It will depend on the weather
and day, and kids moods, etc. On the
couple of days where there are 5 children, it will just be a close by park as
we won’t all be able to squeeze into the van)
11:30-12 Wash up from outdoors- bathroom if needed- then TV
Show while lunch is prepped
12-12:40 Lunch
12:40-12:50 Story Time
12:50-1 Bathroom/Diapers/Transition
1-3 NAPS (Older kids: Quiet time for the first hour- Second
hour homeschooling for Jesse. Older children welcome to join in listening to
books, etc)
3-3:15 Music, dance, exercise or sensory activity (will
depend on the day and kids ages/ moods etc)
3:15-3:30 Light afternoon snack
3:30-3:45 Bathroom/Diapers/Transition
3:45-4:45 Outdoor Play front or back yard. We will go out in all weather conditions
EXCEPT for extreme heat/cold/winds etc. In
the case of severe weather we will play in the basement playroom for the last
hour of the day
As you will notice, Jesse starts his more formal
homeschooling soon! His 40 pounds book
box came Fed Exed on Tuesday, and he was SO excited. It was adorable. After lunch, the kids and I spent almost 2
hours poring over the books and a few activities contained in this magic box. Here they are checking out the goods
.
I really wasn’t expecting such the fuss over my decision to
homeschool our children from friends, family and strangers. Most people have a fairly negative reaction,
and, if positive, continue to question my methods, qualifications, and the social
impact I am putting on my child. In
fact, the other day, in the parking lot to shoppers a woman made the comment
about how busy I must be with the kids.
After asking the ages, she asked what school Jesse would be going to in
the fall. I told her I was
homeschooling, and she engaged me in a 15 minute Q and A! Are you qualified? How does your curriculum match up with the
provinces? How are your kids going to be socialized? How long does it take a
day? Will you be introducing letters? Will you teach your kids to read?
WILL I TEACH MY KIDS TO READ?!?! I wanted to say in a SUPER serious
expression, “ I don’t believe in reading.
That’s why I am NOT sending my kids to school.”
Mostly, it’s kind of funny how people just don’t seem to
understand AT ALL while on earth I would want to spend the whole day with my
kids. That I will go crazy. Why wouldn’t I catch a break if I could? While
I don’t look down on the education system, or the majority of the population
who DO send their kids to school, It’s just that I DO actually WANT to have
more time to spend with them while they are so young, influential and
mouldable. I want to guide their moral
and educational instruction. I want to
know their strengths and weaknesses and have the time and knowledge to guide
them through these. I want their days
to be based around the home, starting with a leisurely and non rushed breakfast
that does not involve them getting out the door by 7:30. I want them to have hours outside each day to
play. I want to teach them how to clean and cook and contribute to family
chores. I want them to have unstructured time each day to be creative and learn
how to use their imaginations and entertain themselves. I want them to be able to go into their rooms
and decompress each day during a quiet time.
I want to be able to welcome Daddy home with supper almost on the table
and eager, rested kids. I want them to
have evenings free from homework, and time to spend with their dad. I want to be able to take a beautiful sunny
day off of school if we want and go for a hike.
I want to make birthdays “holidays.” These are just a handful of things I will
throw out there.
So, I’m very excited to start up his curriculum come
September. It’s about an hour of
instruction each day, and so the plan is to get it done during the second hour
at nap time for the other kids. As the
woman at Shoppers said, “ Well.... I suppose.... in Kindergarten...by the time
the teacher gets them all seated... and then lines everyone up.... and then
.....and then..... they probably are only REALLY learning an hour of actual
material. It’s more about learning the
way school works and socialization and everything. But what about friends? ” (and
I must just interject here and say here: GOD BLESS Kindergarten teachers. You
do a great job with all those kids and working in all your objectives. I have GREAT respect for teachers of all ages
and stages)
So, I may as well answer this question of socialization while
I’m blogging. Jesse will be put in group
things. There is swimming and soccer and
Sunday school and Awana and play dates and his siblings! He gets plenty of chances to interact with
other kids, especially in our neighborhood as there is often a few, if not a
dozen, kids running around. Also, there
is a fantastic homeschooling association in Ottawa. Everyday there are other homeschooled kids
who may together for a science experiment, or recess, to go skating. There are even tons of group courses you can
register for, where your child is dropped off for this or that for so many weeks
to be taught by another parent in an area of expertise. It could be a short lecture, gymnastics
basics for 8 weeks, a science fair, a 12 week photography course. Lots of things to do and chances to interact
in larger groups. There is a stereotype of the homeschooled kid
who is socially awkward and may be ill at-ease in large groups. And sometimes
that plays out, and sometimes it doesn’t.
But, honestly, my goals and hopes for my kids are NOT that they would “be
cool” or “be great in a crowd” There are
far more important things I want to try and teach and demonstrate for them,
that just wouldn’t be taught in school.
How to esteem others. How to
forgive. How to be a peace maker. Not that I will have a daily lesson and activity
on such BIG heart issues...but I will have SO much opportunity with all those
minutes spent with them over the days, playing, eating, working, and schooling to
see where their heart it, and try to shepherd it in the way it should go.
So, a busy year ahead!
But, I feel so thankful that I am able to stay home with the kids. That God has provided the kids to watch along
with my crew so we can make ends meet financially, AND the kids have new faces
to interact with each day. So, wish me
luck tomorrow. A new adventure begins J
