It is hard for me to believe that a YEAR has almost come and gone.  Our first year homeschooling… not to mention staying home with THREE little ones. 

The end of this year brings with it lots of questions about the upcoming year.  Should we homeschool again?  Should we stick with what we did or try video school?

Video School sounds so positively alluring to me.  The idea that I could just get my little 3rd grader on her way each morning without having the battle for attention that her two little brothers often provide would be marvelous.

Marvelous, I say.

My thoughts on the matter continue to run to and fro though, and depending on which day you catch me, I may be leaning one way or the other. BJU Press has a very impressive lineup with their videos being shot in a studio exclusively FOR video school… as opposed to a camera being placed in the back of a traditional classroom.  They have puppet shows, skits, learning songs, powerpoint presentations all to help reinforce lesson concepts in fun and interesting ways. 

Haylee and I watched some of their sample lessons on their website and she liked them.   They are very well done, and I even spotted a girl I went to college with in one of the samples!

We did her state required achievement testing last week using the Woodcock Johnson.   To be honest I wasn’t all that worried about how she was doing since from everything I could tell, she seemed to be grasping everything fine.  In light of that I mainly picked the WJ because of convenience.  It only lasts about an hour verses other standardized tests like Stanford or Iowa which are several hours over a few days, and with the WJ, you get the results immediately. 

The place of the testing was actually the Tester’s basement, and I innocently arrived on the scene with all THREE of the kiddos in tow. 

To best describe opening the door and walking into the house would be to compare it to walking into Cheaper by the Dozen.   It was craziness.

It was like a parody of every homeschool cliché you’ve ever heard of.  From the overly polite  teenage boy who answered the door, to the overflowing clutter and mess everywhere including a plastic slide in the living room, and the clincher… a girl casually walking around playing her violin. 

All of which the Mom/Tester took in stride before leading us down to the basement.

I found it quite humorous. 

While we waited on Haylee, Wade sat on the floor playing with some trains when out of the blue a CAT walks RIGHT IN FRONT of him.   He did a startled double take before jumping up to examine it.  

It was definitely an interesting experience to be sure.   Overall, it was fine, and I do love that it was over in an hour and I got the results right away.  She did great, and though I wasn’t really worried, it’s always nice to get some positive reinforcement that we’re doing okay and our curriculum choices are working.

One thing that has been a challenge this year has been the social aspect.  I know that it’s part of the homeschool code to always proclaim loudly that homeschoolers get MORE than enough social time… enough so it seems to be a laughable question.  Maybe I’m just in the minority, but finding affordable, desirable and workable-with-two-little-brothers activities has not always been easy. 

We are definitely doing MUCH better this semester compared to last when Baby Davis arrived on the scene and we rarely left the house.  He was nursing marathon sessions, and I was operating on little sleep… both of which made getting social time somewhat less of a priority. 

A nearby library has a weekly afternoon activity/story time for K-5th grade kids that we TRY to make occasionally.  It is the only one I’ve found available for school aged kids.  It’s nice because it’s FREE and it’s semi-compatible with Wade and Davis.   

We’ve also made it to a few local Homeschool events like Bowling, and Spring Day at the local Latta Plantation. 

The most thrilling recent social addition has to be Gymnastics Class!  It’s offered at a YMCA near us once a week.  It’s way cheaper than other local options I’ve looked at, and it’s a HUGE love of Haylee’s.  At the end of her first class she showed me how she could do a cartwheel off the low beam onto the mat. 

Probably the absolute BEST part about it is that Wade and Davis can go to the Childwatch, and I can work out during her 45 minute class! Anytime I can kill two birds with one stone is a win in my book.

Lately she has also been doing LOTS more playing outside with the neighbors too which helps to fill that need to be around other kids. I love this, since it is the epitome of convenient social time.  :)

In all my inner searchings and turmoil regarding next year’s schooling choices, I have come to one realization {I think}. 

Contrary to what I thought about myself, I love the homeschooling lifestyle. 

I love not having to get the family up and out the door at the crack of dawn.  I love not having to spend our evenings doing homework and getting ready for the next day.  I love being able to meet up with friends  when I wanna for some social time.  I love how incredibly flexible our schedule is.  I love that I get to be the one censoring what is taught, and…  I love that my children and I are together MORE than we’re apart.

That is not to say that there aren’t things I miss about working and having Haylee in a traditional school environment, because there are. 

{the paycheck was definitely nice}

But for right now, for this season of our life, I am happy to be homeschooling….

What about you? 

Are you debating your choices for next year?

Any opinions on video school?

What’s your criteria for choosing achievement tests?

How’s do you manage your hs-er’s social calendar with little ones along for the ride?