As I plan and prepare for our next school year, I like to think back to the past and learn. What worked and what didn't? What can I change? What should I keep the same?
In doing so, I figured out that I have been like a pendulum my first two years of homeschooling. The first year I was at one end of the pendulum; I was so relaxed and fun. I think my kids enjoyed that year, as did I, and things were so peaceful. I took to heart all I had heard about "de-schooling" and that I should be relaxed and we really just enjoyed being together. But at the end of the year I panicked because I felt that I had neglected so many areas of teaching. Yes, it was great, but ignorance is bliss! And I didn't want ignorance!! Ok. Maybe it wasn't that bad. After looking over the year, I did realize they had made progress and learned a lot. But still, the weight of their education felt heavy on my shoulders and the next year the pendulum went full swing the other way.
My second year educating at home, I was very intent on content, curriculum and results. I wanted to see my kids learn so much, to jump by leaps and bounds. I wanted areas of weakness to be erased and areas of strength to be enforced. I wanted to feel that I had taught them everything they "should" know and I went overboard. Unfortunately, I don't think school was as fun for the kids last year. In addition, when I reviewed the year, expecting to see bigger results, I realized they hadn't grown much more than they had the year we were so relaxed! My desire to "teach everything" made me lose sight of one of the reasons we homeschool...love of learning. It's that love of learning that sparks the imagination, strengthens thought, and creates a desire to know more. That's truly where education can begin; when a child decides he wants to learn it is then that he educates himself.
So now, as I am about to begin my third year of home educating, I am hoping that I can slow down those giant swings of the pendulum and actually be more balanced. I want to foster a enjoyment of learning, so that the kids really WANT to open up that book, or write that paper, or figure out that math equation. I want to be relaxed, and yet still give them the mentoring and teaching that they deserve from me. Besides that, I have reminded myself that the weight of their education is really not on my shoulders alone. God is there to lighten the load and I know I must rely on His strength. I'm also praying that God will give me balance; a balance that will stop the swing and bring us closer to that point of equilibrium.
All the pictures in this post are from the end of last school year. I was just looking back and remembering. Here are a few more. Now back to planning for the new year. Leo teaching the younger kids about light, reflection, and refraction.
Learning the colors of the rainbow in their correct order from their "student teacher".
It helps to play with silly putty when you have to sit still and read!
Already "diving" into books!
She SO wants to do school "like the guys"
Take one empty water bottle and fill 1/3 with vinegar. Use the funnel to help you. Add some food coloring to give the "lava" some color. Add 1 TBSP of liquid soap. Take the other empty water bottle and put 3 tsp. of baking soda in it. Place the cone over the bottle with the baking soda. Put your volcano on a tray or plate, because this will be messy!
Using the funnel, quickly pour the vinegar mixture into the water bottle that is under the cone. Immediately, the mixture will react and you will have "lava" coming out of your volcano!
What's happening? The mixture of vinegar and baking soda creates carbon dioxide gas. The gas creates bubbles in the liquid soap and the mixture expands until it ends up overflowing out of the bottle. 
After this experiment we decided to play around with the vinegar and baking soda and the resulting gas it creates. We put some baking soda inside an empty balloon. Then we put vinegar in a water bottle. We put the balloon around the mouth of the water bottle and then let the baking soda fall into it. The carbon dioxide gas then began expanding (gases always expand to fill available space) and this filled up the balloon! The boys started screaming as the balloon expanded, thinking it would pop! Here they are running to take cover! FYI: It didn't fill that much - no popping occurred!
It was a fun science afternoon learning about reaactions and gas expansion as the rain poured down outside. (Science ideas from the book "My Big Science Book" by Simon Mugford)
