The "Right" Way to Homeschool

There seems to be division everywhere in life, even in the topic of homeschooling. HA I mean right there is division, some people spell homeschool and others prefer home school.  Either way I found it interesting that there seems to be a controversy about "how" to homeschool and what the proper and correct way is.
It seems there are a couple of different school of thoughts about this-pardon the pun ;)
-The school at home method-upon which most homeschoolers frown upon.  From my understanding this is what most people picture when they think of homeschoolers. A bunch of kids stuck around the table for 6 hours a day working through books and worksheets.
-Child led learning-This is a method where you follow the interests of the child. If they are really into bugs one day you run with insects until they feel satisfied.
-Unschooling-I'm not sure if I fully understand this yet but from what I have read, my take on it is basically that everything in life can be a learning experience and so there is no real formal education going on. You just learn through living life.
Eclectic-This is kind of what we are doing. It seems to mix all those methods and make them work.

There are many, many more including the Charlotte Mason  method, Montessori method, Waldorf etc.... I am for sure no expert and will never be one but I did find it interesting to see so many options and opinions on the different methods.

Homeschooling in itself is a whole learning experience and one not to be taken lightly.

Now for some fun stuff :)  We went to the Scarecrow Forest for some fall fun! It was a blast. We went through the scarecrow forest and saw the displays, played on the hay bale castle, found some furry friends, zip lined (even the little ones). It was a gorgeous day and we all had a blast!

 I totally want this to be the next wedding I shoot ;)

Thanksgiving Tree

Blog posting seems to have taken a backseat and there are so many things to blog about. Our Thanksgiving tree was something we started just a week before thanksgiving.
Kianne and Corey created a great big tree and they each cut out different shapes, sizes and colours of leaves. Each day we all wrote something we were thankful for on the leaves until we had a beautiful tree.
It is a nice reminder of the blessings in our lives.

Homeschool = Blessing

I must admit that I entered this journey of homeschooling with great trepidation. I had myself worked up to think it was going to be just horrible and unbearable. We started homeschooling as a little bit of a last resort and thought if this is what we were "stuck" doing for the year than so be it.
However, just over a month has passed since we started this adventure and I have to say it has been incredible! The kids are learning WAY more than I ever imagined and I hate to say it but I would guess way more than if they were sitting in the local public school as well.
Their interests never stop and they really are working quite hard. Of course there are times where I have to get after them. Plus the amount of time I have to commit is more than I first pictured but I do think it is all worth it in the end.
Keeping the little ones entertained while we try and accomplish something half educational is a whole other issue but somehow we are managing.
It is also WAY busier than I ever imagined. I really over scheduled because of the guilt I had with pulling them out of school. We are constantly running to field trips and homeschooler get togethers and as much fun as they are we are pooped by the end of the week.
These are all lessons I am learning though and I will continue to learn and put into practice.
Some benefits I didn't predict are how well the kids play together and keep eachother entertained. It is really nice to see them all outside together playing like they are friends ;)
How much we are all learning from each other and the time we can take to really work at a task and master it.
All this blabbing to say that as much as I felt like I had no other choice but to homeschool this year, I am confident that we are all growing and learning way more from the journey than I would have ever imagined and I feel blessed that I even have the opportunity to do it.

Last Week = Gong Show

Last week was by far our hardest homeschool week so far. We made it to one month but barely had time to celebrate because we were SO busy.
I was worn out and so were the kids. Corey even said we had been doing too much and he always likes to be busy so I know it must be true.
Between a million get togethers and field trips there was just so much on the go that we barely got any school work done.
It was disappointing because we were in such a good groove and then it all got upset. I guess that is just part of the process though and the learning as you go.
We still have other events and things to blog about but I wanted to throw this out there. It is so easy to get  busy, over scheduled and bogged down with stuff that as much fun as it is, it can really wear you down.

Sunset Goose Flight-Oct 6

On the evening of October 6th we went to the Sunset Goose flight at 5:30 at Fort Whyte Alive. We learned about the goose and their natural habitats. We watched thousands of geese land in two ponds. There were some seagulls as well.
We watched them all fly and they whiffled as they landed. Whiffle-moved right to left and would land and tuck their wings in.
There were lots of plants and need exhibits at Fort Whyte like the honey bees and butterfly wings.  Burrowing owls were adorable.

(written by Kianne and Corey)

Field Trips-Stonewall Quarry Park

Last week we went to Stonewall Quarry Park where we walked around and learned about fossils, iron and sandstone.

We learned that they cooked the limestone to make powder for chocolate and toothpaste.

We also learned how fossils are made and formed.

Like a busy busy bee

We have been so busy lately I can barely remember all we've done in the last little while. I know I have pictures to post but that will have to wait until another day.
We went on a field trip last week to the Stonewall Quarry and saw some fossils and learned about different rock formations etc... my goal is to put up the pics and actually have the kids write the blog post in regards to what they learned that day.
We met up with some old but dear friends who are also homeschoolers and it was so fun to reconnect that way.
The kids have been having fun learning french and working on math facts including multiplication and division. We were going to start a new unit on the solar system but I think it will have to wait until next week because this week is just to packed already.
Tomorrow morning is a play date with some local homeschooling kids who are all around the same age as the "big kids" so that is fantastic!
This evening we were at Fort Whyte Alive to witness thousands of geese come in at sunset. What a sight. I totally recommend doing this with your family. We were lucky enough to be part of group to get a little intro to the sights and sounds and lifestyle of the Canadian Geese before we watched the big show.
Hopefully tomorrow I'll get the blog post up with all the pics over the last couple of days.
For now though, all the kids are in bed and I need to get some work done :)