OK, I’ll Play (Homeschool meme)

Susan over at Imperfect Genius has started a homeschool meme. Looks like fun, so I will play!

1) What country/region/state do you live in?

Virginia

2) How long have you been homeschooling? Just getting started, old pro or somewhere in between?

We've been "officially" doing this for 4 years. I have been active on homeschool lists since Jason was around 3.5 yo…so closer to 6 years altogether. Jason went to 2 years of half-day preschool. Kyle has never been to school.

3) Write a little something about your family. Ages? Stages?

Jason is 9, a really fun, cool, very smart kid. He is right-brained/visual-spatial kid and realizing this has made homeschooling oh so much easier. Jason loves video games and good books/stories. He is very bouncy and his mind is always going. He is very thoughtful and loves to see how things work together and relate. He takes things very seriously and thinks a lot.

Kyle is 6, one of those kind of kids that you can just eat up because he is so adorable. He has the sweetest voice and a funny sense of humor. He really looks up to Jason but is starting to come into his own lately. He loves animals and lately is into bird watching. He is a very easy-going, go-with-the flow kind of kid. He is definitely a people-person and gets along with just about everyone. Kyle is more introverted (like his Dad). He tends to be a rule follower and wants to know what he can or can not do…and he has always seemed to have a good sense of balance…he likes video games, but will look for other things to do as well, he eats a variety of things and he goes to sleep easily.

I could not have two more different boys if I had tried.

4) Share some good homeschooling advice you've run across.

If something is not working, look for something that does. Do not blame the child…either he is not ready and needs more time or the approach is wrong.

There are no educational emergencies.

5) Tell us something you're passionate about (besides your family and homeschooling, those are givens!).

I love photography (would love to learn more about composition), blogging, early American history (revolutionary war era) and squishing pennies.

6) If you could take the ultimate field trip, where would you go and why?

I am weird. I have no desire to travel. Honestly. I probably should though.

7) What is a resource you can't do without?

The internet and email. For information and support, it can not be beat. Covers just about everything…support information, research you name it.

 8) How do you homeschool? Classical, Charlotte Mason, Waldorf, Unschooling, Eclectic?

Whatever works for us. Pretty much unschooling, but we are not dogmatic about it.

9) Share a website or two that you visit often - can be your favorite blogger or a curriculum supplier, just any sites you really like.

Well, the obvious is VaHomeschoolers (I am the webadmin!) - the best website for information on homeschooling in Virginia. LibraryThing is my new "toy".

10) Tell us about one of your favorite projects/activities/trips you've had in the past few months.

Well, we are at the beach for the summer and really enjoying it!

11) What is a current/previous homeschooling challenge you've faced?

Figuring out how Jason learns because it is so different then my learning style…reading about right-brained/visual-spatial learners has made an incredible difference. I get it now. 

12) Share an accomplishment, something about you or your children. Come on, brag about it!

Jason's reading taking off like it has…folks told me that it would happen, but until you see it, you still worry. I am so happy that I did not push him and let him develop on his own timeframe.

13) What are you looking forward to over the coming year?

The VaHomeschoolers Conference in August…I am the PR chair and it has been a true labor of love. It is going to be so much fun.

14) Name three things you like doing in the summer with your family.

1. Spending time on the beach 2. Eating dinners/relaxing out on the deck 3. Reading out on the dock

15) Have a favorite homeschooling quote? Share it here.

Well, that one is pretty obvious!

"Learning can only happen when a child is interested. If he's not interested it's like throwing marshmallows at his head and calling it eating." - Anonymous