Another year and still so much to learn...

The school year has started again! Actually it never stopped, ha ha! We did school work through out the summer. It was suppose to be half days but one of my kids was really struggling so it often turned into whole days. It was sort of awful. So I started this school year already feeling burnt out, which is not a good way to start!

I've had to come to terms with the fact that two of my kids have learning disabilities. I had come to terms with one of them having learning disabilities at the beginning of last year and kept struggling along with the other hoping things would just get better. But they didn't. So I got a complete evaluation done for him as well, both cognitive and academic, and sure enough, major problems. I cried pretty hard. It's such an awful feeling, but at the same time in a weird way a relief. Because this just means we have to meet him where he is at. There is always a way to reach every child just not always in the main stream way. What works for many just won't work for them. So it relieves the pressure of trying to keep them at grade level and wondering if you are just doing something wrong. Which I sort of was in a way. I was trying to keep him on a curriculum that works wonders for so many children but doesn't work for him. I have two children that are advance, each a whole grade level or more ahead and two that are struggling. It's quite a challenge to meet each one exactly where they are at! But I've come to realize that one of my children (the one that was most recently tested) is an auditory learner and so we are moving in that direction and changing it all up this year! Every year I think I've finally got it all figured out and then suddenly everything gets tossed upside down! Ha ha!

So anyways we have also decided to go on a full year schedule. Which means every fourth week we will be taking off. Three weeks on, one week off, all year round. We tend to go through the summers anyways and I like it better for the most part, they don't forget things that way. :) This was our first week off and I have to say I think I'm going to love this new schedule. We have been able to catch up on a read a loud we had gotten behind on, we've read books and watched videos on wild edibles, and read some other books just for fun. They've played card games, and Yahtzee, worked on crossword puzzles and Sudoku and a 1000 piece puzzle. Banden got his microscope out and had time to just mess around with it and have fun. It's like a week of unschooling (look it up it's a real thing, ha ha!) mixed in with structured homeschooling. Good balance if you ask me, I'm hoping it works out in the long run. We will see! 

A whole new school year!

4th grade

3rd grade

4th grade

1st grade

Leiella LOVES doing "real" schoolwork as she calls it. :D She found kindergarten rather boring last year.

All organized and ready to go!

First day at the learning center. They just love their classes there! Leiella was over the moon excited that she finally got to take classes like her brothers and didn't have to just wait all day in the family room anymore. I almost cried when I left her in her first class. Her little voice telling the classroom what her name was, her determined straight back and attention to her teacher. Oh man it was too much! 

So there you have it. Adventures in homeschooling. ;)