Mommy's Little Learners: Looking Back...

I felt like it was just August and I was planning the beginning of our 2015 homeschooling year. And now, we are ringing in the new year, ready to launch our Spring “semester”.

So many wondering things have happened and so many amazing things have been learned. Our family has learned how to embrace the flexibility of homeschooling over the past few months. And we took a BIG leap of faith by launching our school year in Colorado at our family cabin.

September to Remember!

As we moved into October, we had big plans for burritos and 2 brothers. We had submited a “business plan” for The Acton Children’s Business Fair at the end the month. I knew it was going to be fun but never expected we would have learned SO much through this one experience.

The Burrito Brothers

Leaves are starting to fall and the weather is getting cooler. So what did we decide to do? Head for the beach! Once again, we embraced the moment and headed south to Mustang Island, Tx. The beach was empty, the weather was perfect and the learning was fun.

This was a giant shark that I drew in the sand without any of it's fins. We had been learning about the different shark fins and their purpose. They drew the fins on to complete our "Sand Shark".

A week prior to our trip, we began our Shark Lapbooks. http://www.homeschoolshare.com/sharks.php

This simple experience ignited a love for learning in my 6.5 year old. He has become obsessed with learning about Sharks…all due to this family field trip.

I planned to take our learning too (and my in-laws) I can’t think of a better way to spend time as a family than with these two, lovely people. They were the ones that suggested homeschooling to us in the first place.

We even made time for a rainy day field trip into the Aquarium. And who would have thought... they had a special exhibit on SHARKS!

As the calendar turned over to a new month, I was starting to realize time was going WAY to fast. We were about to celebrate our first born that was turning 7 years old…how could that be?

Birthdays are a BIG deal. (probably because I make them that way!) With so much to do, I decided to invite J into planning for his own party. After all, he does know WAY more about Minecraft than I!

I put “schooling” on the back burner for a few days. Instead of what I had formally planned for school, we:

*researched and picked-up FREE boxes for “real Minecraft backyard building”.

*shopped online for materials to make the Nether Portal

*Used Google Drawings to make Minecraft Food Labels for the party.

*We made a VERY tough piñata together.

But most importantly, he discovered how much I love to plan parties and how much I love him. That sweet boy told me over and over how thankful he was that he was homeschooled so that he could help me plan and prepare his own party. THAT’S WHAT IT IS ALL ABOUT…AMEN? And it’s the memories and connections that we made as mother and son. He will remember these moments so much more than a phonics lesson or math assessment.