School's Out!

It's official! School is out at our house! As a homeschooling mama, I'm as excited about the summer break as my daughter is! We've had a great year and I've learned a lot about her and I've really enjoyed having so much quality time together. I think we are closer now than when she was in public school last year. I also see that my child is happier now that we are homeschooling. Public schools can be a great institution and should always be available, but they just aren't the best fit for every child. 

Homeschooling has allowed my daughter to learn more information in less time with less stress and has allowed us more time to relax and have fun together. I have learned to recognize her learning strengths and weaknesses and have been able to teach her in a way that makes learning easier for her. 

For example, my daughter is not a strong reader. She loves novels that are written for her age, but shies away from reading them. By reading with and to her, I have been able to expose her to more age-appropriate literature. She was getting bored with the subject matter of the books she could read easily because they weren't written for girls her age. I also noticed that she likes reading non-fiction and poetry more than novels. Thus, I let her independent reading focus on these genres more than fiction.

I have known for some time that my child is stronger in math than other subjects and I was able to let her move at her own pace and do some independent work in this area. This gave us more time to focus on other subjects where she needed more structure and help. Guess what we both found out? She is extremely interested in science! And you know we had lots of fun when it came to the Ecology unit!

Last but not least, homeschool allows for much more hands-on learning! We have had some great field trips this year! Our last one was just a few days ago. We went to the Greenville Children's Museum and really had a blast. We took my oldest son along since he was visiting from Missouri. 

But now we are moving on to other subjects. It's time for studies in sunshine and water, gardens and bare feet, bicycles and backyard basketball. Don't you just love summertime?

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