Poke, Poke... yes, we are still here!

In our rush toward the end of the year to get finished and then our lazy, hazy days of summer, my poor little Homeschooling blog has suffered some neglect. There now, little blog, you are loved.

I have been following, with some interest, the Corpse Flower at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. It seems lots of people are interest in Lois (that's the name given this Corpse Flower). Unfortunately, Lois seems not to follow everyone's timeline on when she should bloom. She's poking along at her own pace and laughing in the face of the predictions of the experts. They have made slits, attached bags of rotten fruit, turned up the heat and humidity... to no avail. Lois is still cocooned in her bud. I hope all this poking about doesn't kill the poor thing.

That got me really thinking this morning about home educating our students. They poke along at their own pace. Often not keeping the timetable that the "experts" say they should follow. "Well, your son should be reading chapter books by 2nd grade. Blah, blah, blah." They create an artificial environment and expect kids to "bloom" on time in it. Kids, like Lois, were made by the creator with their own timetables. I like to work with that timetable instead of fight it and force it. Doing so, allows them to "open up" and enjoy their education.

Nature Walks

In our continuing efforts to follow the Charlotte Mason method, and since the cold weather is starting to give way to our warm Houston spring, we have been starting our nature walks again. We have a wonderful detention pond in the back of our subdivision that has been turned into a park of sorts. It is still very wild and I like it that way. The boys hop on their bikes, I hook up the dog, the boys grab their nature walk notebooks, I grab my camera and we all go for our nature walk.
Here are some pictures from our walk.

My oldest writing a poem he is keeping to himself. Notebook entries should only be shared if the child wants to.
The boys enjoy riding. So much freedom!

Enjoying God's creation. We can see His handiwork in even the "weeds".

Strawberry Picking Field Trip

Ah Tradition... one of our favorites is our annual Strawberry Picking at King's Orchard with our local homeschool group. I just love to go! In fact, I have been suckered into leading it for the past 3 years. No, it really isn't all that bad, I am just being silly. I just send out a map, tell people what time to be there and field all ridiculous complaints. (insert eye rolling here)

Here are some fun pictures.

Calling All Seasoned Home Educator

I still shake my head when I say outloud "I've homeschooled for 7 years." It doesn't seem possible. I still feel like a fledging newbie to homeschooling. The reality is that as a homeschooler with a few years under my belt (or purse), it is my responsibility to encourage others. That might mean giving unsolicited advice to those homeschoolers just coming up. Sometimes they don't know the questions to ask. We know the pitfalls and problems.

We tend to cocoon in these older years. We don't feel the need to go to homeschool meetings because we have a lot figured out already. We stick to our group of friends who are also seasoned. It is comfortable. The fact is that we are too lazy to put ourselves out there and mentor these moms coming up. We should attend these meetings not because we need information, but to be available to give information.

This is a call to all you seasoned homeschoolers: Get out there! Encourage, encourage, encourage! Get out of your comfort zone and find a new homeschooler to mentor. Make yourself available to them. Pray with them. Will they take all your advice? No. They might take none of it and that is OK. Just the fact that they have a cheerleader in their corner makes all the difference. Rah! Rah! Rah! Go Homeschool!

Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.

Titus 2:3-5 NIV