1st Grade Here We Come

I have done it.  I have ordered materials for teaching my boys next year, and I am really excited.  Yes, I am a teacher with a masters degree and 10 years of classroom experience, and 7 years of leading outdoor science field school groups.  And, I bought curriculum for next year.  But, not just any curriculum. 

Before I go into the details about what we chose and why we chose it, I feel it is important to mention why we home school our boys.  Homeschooling was not something my husband and I ever considered, I am sure I have mentioned this 1000 times on here.  But, once we made the decision, we have not looked back.  Yes, we have been questioned about our decision by friends, family and strangers countless times.  As parents, though, we have to make tough choices about what is best for our kids. 

See, both of our boys came to us through adoption.  Both had spent their crucial early months (for E) and years (for I) missing out on youth, family, direct positive learning environments, or stimuli.  One of our son's spent his first 3 months in an incubator, only to spend the next 5 months in an orphanage with very limited stimulus or interaction with others.  Our other son was shuffled between four homes in his first 3.5 years and came to us with lots of negative experiences, drug addicted, nearly starving, hearing impaired and mute. 

Needless to say, they both had a lousy and damaged foundation.  John and I also believe that kids need to be kids.  We spend a lot of time being grown up in our lives, and well, we don't believe in forcing that sooner than latter.  Also, our kids did not get to be kids when they were supposed to get to, so we feel it is all the more important to foster their imagination, curiosity and sense of wonder. 

For these reasons we have decided to use the Oak Meadow for next year.  I love that it has art, music, and health incorporated as these are areas I am weak in as a teacher.  I love that it encourages imagination, and a logical flow, without a illogical time line. 

We ordered this morning, and I should be getting the whole packet in the mail soon.  I am looking very forward to doing my homework, and then starting the boys this summer on their 1st trimester of 1st grade.  I am thinking that if I do this, they will get to do some cool unit studies in between trimesters and this will allow John some necessary flex time next spring when he is supper busy with the business.