Back in June I decided to start studying a Course in Allied Health, specialising in Nutrition. Health and well being have always been a special interest area for me but it wasn't until after having the 4 boys and finding myself tremendously overweight for the first time in my life that I went right back to my roots, deciding to focus more on preserving my health and returning to my previous fitness and energy levels. My long term desire is to assist other Mums to lose their post baby weight and also steer parents towards making better food and lifestyle choices for their children.
From the onset I knew that studying and Homeschooling the boys was always going to be juggle. I have considered undertaking the study for well over a year now but it wasn't until I decided to take the plunge mid-year that I realised that I would be able to handle the workload. Sure, there have been a few things that have been pushed by the wayside (this blog for starters) but for the most part it has just meant watching less night-time television and instead focusing on learning more about things I'm passionate about. I've even managed to fast-track my studies, which means I should have this first course completed by mid 2014.
So, here I am mid December, having completed my studies for this year when I realised I should come update you all as to how our Homeschooling lives have been travelling!
My older boys have just graduated from Grade 2 and 4 this year. Bailey (now 10) is reading superbly now and his writing is coming along nicely. I've focused this year on introducing various writing styles to Bailey and having him attempt to use his Laptop independently to produce his writing pieces. I'm very proud to report he can now hand-write his writing plan, open up a Word document, type his piece, spellcheck and self-check the document and print it out for me to read! His preferred writing style appears to be more factual pieces which is not surprising given his personality and obsessive interest areas, but I'm just glad that he's writing something and keen to do so!
Dane (now 7.5yrs) has been working on improving his reading this year. He has come along way and is now able to sit independently and read to his younger brothers. His handwriting has also improved, making it very legible now. It is becoming increasingly harder to tell the difference in the handwriting of the older boys. Dane recently received a formal diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (same as Bailey was diagnosed at age 3) and we've also been advised that he has a Language delay known as Apraxia of Speech. His delays mean his work takes a long time to get through but at least being homeschooled he can get the 1 on 1 attention that he needs, especially when learning new concepts!
Ehren (now 4) has been doing plenty of Preschool work with me this year. I wasn't going to initiate any actual deskwork for him til next year, seeing as he only turned 4 this year, but he insisted he have his own work whilst his older brothers were doing theirs. He is able to sound out most the letters of the alphabet, is starting to join the sounds together to read short words, can recognise all his basic shapes, colours and most numbers up to 20. Ehren has just recently learnt how to write his own name.
Fraser (just turned 3 late this year) has reached his own Homeschooling milestones lately. He is now able to sit and complete some of the kindergarten tasks I have been occupying him with. He can sit for up to 20 minutes at a time completing puzzles, card matching games, fine motor activities and colouring in pages. Fraser is able to count to the teens as well as identify most his basic shapes and colours.
This year I also started running a sports program for our Homeschool group. I've named it FunSports but it's not just all about sport. It's a program that focuses on getting kids active and outdoors, spending time with and making new friends, learning teamwork and leadership skills whilst learning many of the old schoolyard classics we all played as kids. I run two groups, Juniors being ages 2-5 and Seniors being 6 and over. This year the kids have learnt the game of Softball, Red Rover, Frisbee flying, LaCrosse, What's the time Mr Wolf, the Chicken Dance, basics of Soccer ball kicking, Duck Duck Goose and more. It's been a fun time coaching the kids and something I'm looking forward to doing again next year.
2014 is a special year for us. We'll officially have 3 Homeschoolers in our Homeschool classroom! Ehren will commence as our Prep student, Dane will step up to Grade 3 work and Bailey will be completing Grade 5 work. I'm really looking forward to seeing their progress through the year, not to mention complete my first course! I promise to try and blog more often, not only for others who are interested but for my own record keeping sake ;)
