Today, I’m guest posting for Sara at My Merry Messy Life and talking about how I homeschool (and why I started in the first place.)
I have a very laid back approach to life and as you can imagine, it flows over to homeschool!
I pasted a tidbit of the article below; I hope you’ll hop over to read the whole thing then check out all of the great ideas Sara has on her blog. If you like the type of stuff I post about, I think you’ll really like her too!
“Before I had children, I was a preschool teacher in a small, private school. It was a job that I thoroughly loved! The principal of the school was easy to work with and as long as I covered the basic curriculum, I was free to do fun things with the kids such as: treasure hunts, weekly cooking projects, painting with our fingers and toes, going outside and finding shapes in the clouds and of course, lots and lots of picnics! The children were happy, excited to come to school and seemed to revel in learning new things day after day.
During the same time frame, I tutored elementary students who needed help with reading and phonics. I began to notice what a difference a few years at school made in the attitude of some of these children. The joy of learning had been smothered by long lists of words and meaningless dates to memorize, by hours of busy work, by having every second of their day scheduled for them. These kids were burnt out and they were only in the third or fourth grade! It was a sad and sobering observation that I never quite forgot.
When I became pregnant with my first child, I quit teaching and stayed home with her, and then her brother who was born almost two and a half years later. I didn’t really know the term for it then, but I practiced attachment parenting. I kept the babies in our bedroom at night, nursed on demand and carried them around in a sling during the day. Because I was there, I was able to follow my daughter’s learning cues. She learned to read right after she turned four & quickly progressed to higher level books. Kindergarten was creeping closer and closer, but I just couldn’t bear the thought of sending her off to school!”
To read the rest, visit my post at My Merry Messy Life!
Great post today, Jan. As I’ve noted on Sara’s website, your description of your son’s challenges closely mirror what our son went through at a similar age. Thank goodness we finally found a specialist willing to think outside the box for a lasting solution. All the best, “Farmer Doug”.
Thanks for the great comments Farmer Doug!
I just started to homeschool my two kiddos (Carson, 3 and Kaden, newly turned 5) last year. My husband is my only support when it comes to homeschooling my kiddos; my family thinks they should be in public or private school. All that aside, I really needed some encouragement and was happy to find this post
. We also have a similar challenge with my eldest. We control his seizure disorder (tonic clonic frontal absence) through diet (corn, casien, soy, and gluten free) and supplements. My son’s pedi is very supportive, but his neuro, not at all, even tho since his diet its been 15 months since his last episode that went status epilepticus. Wish you all the best as well 
..
Hi Anna! We have family members that think the same, so I know that feeling! The main thing is that your husband supports you – that’s great! I’m so glad you found some keys to controlling your son’s seizure disorder. It really is amazing the power that food and supplements can have. Good luck in your homeschooling adventure and keep following your heart. YOU know what’s best for your babies more than anyone.
I am planning on homeshooling my only daughter next year. I tried once, but had trouble. She is really struggling in school, and is in special Ed and so forth. I desperately want to homeschool her again, but need connections and support. I am glad I found this site. Is there a way I can “save” it so I can easily access it? Thanks!
Hi Lori!
To save a site – if you’re using Internet Explorer (icon looks like a blue “e”) then you just look at the top and hit “Favorites” then “Add to Favorites.” If you’re using Firefox, you can hit “Bookmark” and “Bookmark this page.” If you’re using Chrome, you can just hit the star at the very right of the address bar at the top to bookmark the page.
Sometimes, I also email a link to myself!
I hope one of those ways works for you and I send lots of good wishes that your daughter has a better year next year at home!