Getting to know you...

I planned on easing into homeschooling so that the boys would get used to me teaching and seeing me as "teacher" and not just "Mom". Turns out I need just as much time getting used to them! Their learning styles, strengths, and weaknesses are all as individual as the boys themselves. I thought I knew them but I know them as my boys, not as students. I knew Max loves math problems but didn't know he has a hard time writing his numbers. I knew Ben has a great imagination but not that he hates creative writing. I knew Cole was a slow and steady kind of guy but not that my desire to stay "on schedule" would make that so frustrating for me! So we are all getting to know each other.

The one thing I did know is that boys love to dawdle...and day dream... and procrastinate... and side track. I did not know the extent to which Ben has used the public school day (ie clock watching!) to his advantage. He will wriggle and sharpen his pencil and get a drink and ask questions and and AND until time is up and he doesn't have to finish things he doesn't like or isn't in the mood for. Poor lad is starting to learn that one of the CONS in homeschooling is that Mom has all the time in the world.  Math isn't over because the clock says so, it's over when you're done.  Dawdling is starting to have real world consequences for him.  Ones that an 8 year old boy cares about!  Getting done late means you cut into your free play. It means you don't get to play on the computer. Making Mom repeat herself and keep you on task means you don't get your Xbox controller back when the school day is over. This is going to be one of our biggest challenges for sure!

I do see lots of the hurdles I expected already popping up. I see where I need to tighten rules and expectations; where to add rewards and incentives and where I need to change rights into privileges. I know that like any other major changes to the way you parent or run your household things could get worse before they get better. Hopefully I can keep that in mind and keep my sanity. I pray that if I remain consistent in our destination and  flexible on the road(s) we take to get there our journey will be fun and rewarding for all of us.

Dead Island Review

Dead Island review by Cole Folwell

If you do not like extremely bloody games, this game is definately not for you. This is one of the bloodiest, and one of the hardest games I've ever played. The zombies are hard to kill, and they stay hard to kill. No matter how much you level up the zombies level up too, keeping them hard, be cause when you think about it a level 30 person is good, but a level 30 zombie is better. And it's one of the bloodiest games I've seen because it's not that there's alot of blood, which there is,  there's just such good detail. Seriously this game was almost banned in Austrailia. Now onto the story line. This is a free-roam game meaning you can just walk around and kill zombies if you want, but if you want to do the story you have to talk to somebody and get a quest from them. Another thing I liked about dead island is that there are 3 acts, the first one is on the beach resort, the second is in the city, and the third is in the jungle. Even though this game is hard, it is one of my favorites. 4.5 stars 

Dead Island Review

Dead Island review by Cole Folwell

If you do not like extremely bloody games, this game is definately not for you. This is one of the bloodiest, and one of the hardest games I've ever played. The zombies are hard to kill, and they stay hard to kill. No matter how much you level up the zombies level up too, keeping them hard, be cause when you think about it a level 30 person is good, but a level 30 zombie is better. And it's one of the bloodiest games I've seen because it's not that there's alot of blood, which there is,  there's just such good detail. Seriously this game was almost banned in Austrailia. Now onto the story line. This is a free-roam game meaning you can just walk around and kill zombies if you want, but if you want to do the story you have to talk to somebody and get a quest from them. Another thing I liked about dead island is that there are 3 acts, the first one is on the beach resort, the second is in the city, and the third is in the jungle. Even though this game is hard, it is one of my favorites. 4.5 stars  

The Adventure Begins

The Adventure Begins...

Today was Day 1 of our homeschooling adventure. We are starting off Summer School with a 5 week unit study on the Olympics.  We couldn't just let the Olympics go by without taking advantage of a super awesome opportunity!! Plus I figured a nice easy subject with tons of fun hands on activities would ease the boys into the whole homeschooling thing. We are doing school part time with 2 days per week of sports, art, and cooking projects with only a little reading and language arts work hidden in there. (Please don't tell those kids that cooking = reading, math, science, and social studies (we're doing recipes from other countries).  

We had a kind of messed up schedule today due to running Taylor to/from a volleyball tournament and a dentist appointment. The great thing about homeschooling is flexibility! We did some quick start work on our math and social studies assignments for the day, talking about Ancient Greece and setting them up for the afternoon's story writing.

Today I had the pleasure of one of those rare moments of perfection when a plan turns out exactly how you pictured it in your mind. I gave everyone their math work and off they went. Little boys at one table and big boys at the other table. The big boys worked together graphing US athletes by state, coming up with the "hows" of the project themselves. When Ben struggled to figure something out, Cole stepped in to explain it to him. When Max had a question from the other table, Ben ran over to help him out before I could. Now I am realistic, I know that not every day is going to be like this. In fact, later in the day Ben was lolling half in his chair half on the floor to avoid writing a story... but for a few lovely moments it was the homeschooling picture in my head come to life. I can't wait for the rest of the fun.