Teacher Appreciation Day!

Two years ago, we made the bold leap into homeschooling. It was the best decision we ever made. Brielle has learned more in these two years than she had in the last five or more years before that. It has been a great experience for both of us and for that, I am grateful.

So, what is our homeschooling day like? It’s busy, that’s for sure! Here's a snapshot of what our day is like:

-      Devotion: We do a short devotion designed for young girls. She is learning more about God (in simple ways) than she ever could have simply by going to church.
-      Calendar Time: Brielle loves knowing what the plan for the week is.
-      Weather: Brielle gets on the computer to check the weather for the next two days.
-      Reading: We read a chapter in a book together. I read one page aloud, then she signs the other page and I speak what she signs. We talk about words she does not know and look up signs we do not know and keep a running list for the day.
-      Handwriting: She does a 150 dot-to-dot to warm up. She does a page from a handwriting workbook and copies sentences I write about something important we did the day before.
-      Language Arts: We do a page from a book series with missing words and has to come up with the kind of word written underneath the missing word (like a noun, verb, adjective, etc.) to create a crazy story. She does a worksheet from a third grade Language Arts book usually on parts of speech, word usage, punctuation, or grammar.
-      Social Studies: We read about history and government in a simple workbook and supplement it with a higher grade level history book just by reading excerpts from it, looking at the pictures and sometimes looking up things on-line. We sometimes also do a geography lesson on map reading and information about each state.
-      Science: We work on simple science concepts from two workbooks books that overlap. So, we do the subject from one book and then repeat the same subject in another book that presents it in a slightly different way.
-      Math: I use an on-line site that allows me to create simple addition and subtraction fact worksheets with exactly the numbers we are working on. Brielle also does on-line games on that same website.
-      Art and Music: She watches an episode of a preschool show that focuses on art and music appreciation. We look up the artist and composer to learn more about them.
-      Spelling: We talk about all of the words and signs she did not understand from our running list for the day. She then copies them three times on the computer.
-      Creative Writing: She always writes her dad an email. In addition, she writes other family members and friends emails.
-   P.E.: Although Brielle does bowling with Special Olympics during the winter, Miracle League baseball in the fall and spring, and cheerleading and dance year round, we do take time to get in some physical activity. We play outside or play physical video games regularly. 
-      Life Skills: She sorts laundry and folds towels. She helps make simple recipes. She does simple cleaning chores. We review money skills each time we go shopping.

Whew! We work on so much that I know she would not be getting at a public school.

So, on this National Teacher Appreciation Day, I don’t expect to get any handmade cards or gifts from my one single student. Instead, I am the one who feels appreciative for the last two years of homeschooling Brielle.

"Mothering should involve both taking care of someone who is dependent and at the same time supporting that person in his or her efforts to become independent." ~Stone Hammer

UPDATE (later the same day): My sweet teenager, Ashley, brought me home a perfect, red apple! Now that just made my day!!! :)