Primarily I went because I needed to feel part of something larger than myself. The convention offered me just that. There were thousands of people (mostly mothers) attending three days worth of workshops and exhibits, and the most amazing thing of all is that the majority of these mamas looked just like me. Now I know that I may be setting myself up for criticism here, but I was going into this arena expecting every woman to have long, long hair, and a trail of little daughters behind her all dressed exactly alike in their home-made threads. Okay, there were two or three like that, but for the most part they were people who were just like us, only themselves, living in this same culture, opting out of public education and looking for resources to educate their children as best they can.
I learned some from the teachers there, but mostly enjoyed perusing the exhibit hall and asking questions about different curriculums. I also learned a ton from the book "100 top curriculum picks for home schoolers" by Cathy Duffy. She helped me understand my teaching philosophy, my teaching style and Caleb's primarily learning style, then laid out curriculum that supported these truths.
The main area I am now praying about / reading about / and seeking advice over is if and how much Christian curriculum should be included in our "studies." That component would be a part of our lives wherever the boys were schooled, because we love and talk about the Lord as a family each and every day (Deuteronomy 6) so now that I am teaching them at home, do I add more Bible and Christian world view perspectives into all of their lessons? I don't feel that their phonics lessons needs to be tied to a Bible based first reader... Sam sat on Mat is silly, I know, but fine by me. However, there are some subject as they mature where I will naturally do this, because it is who I am and what our family is about. I just don't know about Christian curriculum yet. And still... I am totally open to it.
On the learning front, Caleb just had his first "telling time" lesson this morning and traced his letters around a paper clock. We also finished reading "Stuart Little" yesterday, however, we were both disappointed with the ending. Kind of a downer. Sure, it sparked conversation about Stuart's disappointment when the canoe was broken and how his poor attitude stopped him from going off and having fun with Harriet, as well as talks about if we thought he'd ever find Margalo, but still it just felt incomplete. Unfinished!
However, we have more books on the shelf and are eager to start reading about "Billy and Blaze" today!
