Final Homeschool Blog Entry

We have now wrapped up our experimental homeschool year. I gave them the CAT (California Achievement Test). This is a test that many homeschool parents and private schools rely upon to evaluate the year's progress. It took about an hour or so. It was untimed and I put zero pressure on them about the results.

Henry and Charlie just finished first grade curriculum. Since I held them back due to their summer birthday, I went ahead and tried out the 2nd grade test. Henry's composite score was 3.8 (3rd grade + 8 months) and he was in the 99th percentile for 2nd grade. Charlie's composite score was 3.9 (3rd grade + 9 months) and he was also in the 99th percentile. Their reading is 4th/5th grade level and they only read chapter books now.

I gave Harrison the 3rd grade test. He took 3rd grade at a private school last year, but there seemed to be a lot of things that fell through the cracks there (I gave him an evaluation before choosing his curriculum), so I retaught 3rd this year. His composite score was 6.2 (6th grade + 2 months) and he was in the 99th percentile. He reads at an 8th grade level and loves reading even more than his brothers. He escapes to his bed at least once a day to read and I catch him laughing himself silly at his books. He has come a lonnnnnggg way! Homeschool has been great for him because you just can't beat 1 on 1 teaching. We also can zip through the lessons instead of having the day dragged out, where he tends to lose his focus.

We unanimously agreed to homeschool again for next year. Since their scores were high, we are going to skip them each a grade (which actually just brings them to their regular grade levels). If they go back to public or private school later, we can decide which grade to put them in at that time. Of course there are many factors that go into picking the right grade for them (I say "pick the right grade" because they are in that gray area birthday-wise where some parents hold back their kids - especially their boys). We will breeze through an outline of 2nd/4th curriculum before we skip it and then move on to the next grade in August or September.

We are enjoying some relaxing weeks of "summer" now. We have a trip to Grand Cayman in May/June and then Colorado in August. The boys are signed up for VBS and a stop motion animation camp. We also plan to do regular rock-climbing and indoor soccer. Since I turn the big FORTY next year, I am planning a big trip for us next summer to France, Monaco, Spain, Portugal, and Morocco. And what better learning experience for a kid?? The boys have seen a lot of countries and I have been able to tie their experiences in with the lessons. I hear parents hesitate with taking their kids on trips, but just do it! These experiences are wonderful for a developing brain and personality. Their love of travel and different cultures will last a lifetime. We have also started a new raised garden and are growing squash, tomatoes, peppers, and blueberries. We also grow herbs, figs, and citrus (although the figs and citrus haven't been quite edible as of yet).

Here are a few little positives that I have noticed through the year about homeschooling.
- We wake up when we wake up. Granted, it is still early. But we wake up when our bodies have had adequate rest instead of being woken up by an alarm clock.
- Cheaper travel at better times - trips don't have to be planned around Spring Break/Summer/Christmas. If Adam gets a break at work, we can just take off and take advantage of great rates.
- Healthier food - no more trying to figure out how to pack a healthy lunch that actually tastes good by lunchtime!
- No buying random stuff throughout the year! No keeping up with a million emails from a million teachers and parent associations and field trip instructions and party instructions. We (the boys and I) control it all!
- The boys get to focus on their hobbies. I insert things they love into their centers, like Scratch (coding).
- More playtime outside.
- They are involved in some of the curriculum planning. I ask them regularly what they want to learn and incorporate those things.
- If there is a struggle (i.e. multiplication tables), I can focus unlimited time on that. If it takes 15 lessons to nail it, that's fine. On the flip side, if there are subjects that are already mastered, we can skip past those. Individualized instruction!
- I have set aside more time now for playdates, so the boys have at least 2 big fun playdates each week.
- No homework! When school is done each day, it's done and free time begins.
- Most importantly, we have more time together as a family and are closer than ever before.

I am so glad that we tried this experiment and I have learned just as many lessons as they have. Happy Summer!!!