Getting Around the Bumps

This year we're trying to drive out the cost of homeschooling. Yes, homeschooling again but this IS my life. My children are the center of everything I do and we homeschool so my blog reflects this fact :D! I'm sure I'll develop some other interest.... soon? Maybe!

I find the idea of being able to educate for virtually free a hugely exciting concept especially because banks in Oz have decided to clamp down hard on owner builders and are NO longer lending money to them. That means for us that we will have to pay a builder to get our home to lock-up at Iri'ni which means $$$$ for labour that we didn't think would be necessary when we purchased our beautiful five acres. Mr E visited five different banks yesterday and it's the same story, no builder, no loan. This whole house building exercise is one frustration after another, and we haven't even begun to build yet! There should be a bank out there that meets our requirements, hopefully we'll find them next week :D.

So free educating is becoming necessary and fortunately it seems that increasingly more quality free materials are becoming available online every other day. For information about free educational materials the best place to visit is Freely Educate, a blog devoted entirely to it's name sake and if you're on facebook, 'like' Homeschool for Free for updates or visit their website Free Homeschool Resources.

It's through Freely Educate that I came across Lesson Pathways which is a K-5 online school , with lesson plans and resources all ready to go. Originally there was a cost but since the advent of Facebook and twitter and the like, it has since become temporarily free, and potentially permanently. You can read on their site as to how these social mediums have effected the cost.

I had contemplated using Lesson Pathways as a complete curriculum which would satisfy the box ticker in me but have since rubbished that idea as stressful and a waste of all the awesome materials we have already accumulated, oops I mean acquired ;) over the past four or so years . So the outcome is we will continue with what we have and supplement with Lesson Pathways as a unit study help.

For the moment The Natives and I have decided that alternating a weekly theme between them both will be best as they're always interested in what the other is doing - and it's easier for me. To divide myself would see me frazzled and doing an okay job but by concentrating our energies I know we'll ride the wave of enthusiasm and the learning will just be so much more enjoyable and natural. Kookaburra has chosen first for next week and it will be aircrafts and flight. Looking over my shoulder yesterday they saw the first experiment and ran off to give it a go....





Hoorah for excitement sparked by experiments!

On a sadder note, my boys have been told that another of our homeschooling families will be sending their children to school next week. I wholeheartedly understand the choice. But to fill the social void is becoming more necessary than ever before. This year both The Natives join Scouts, are attending art classes, volunteering at the Sanctuary, attending martial arts, and swimming lessons. I'll be seeking to grow friendships a little more pro-actively, we've been socially very quiet since we moved to Little House last April, which has been lovely but can't go on forever, so it's time to come out of my near hermit like status. On the homeschool friends front, our local group will be meeting monthly for games, chat and support with the hopes of growing it into a co-op where everybody shares a turn at mentoring the children with an especial area of interest or perhaps even a facet from their profession. For example a nurse may share with the children lessons about their bodies, health and hygiene, leveling the information for the varying age groups. Sounds like a very beneficial idea and I know it works splendidly in the States but we are so small here which works against us I think.

Well, here's hoping :D

A little sad for us but I'm planning to cater for the changes. So a few challenges this year but I know that through staying positive, relaxing and praying, everything will work itself out as it is meant too.