Introductions

OK, Here goes... the second post. Lets start over.

Who are we? Doug and Becky, married in 2001. Eight years of ups and downs, but sweet every day, all the way through. Three little men that God gave us, Andrew, now 6 years old, Nate, almost 5 years old, and Aaron, 3 years old.

Andrew is definitely the most outgoing of the three. God has blessed him with a larger than normal inteligence. I don't think that's just a mom speaking, because he read his first word at 2 1/2 years old. He just recently got to shoot a rifle for the first time, so he's excited about that, and he saved his target for future generations to see.

Nate is the shyest of all. However, he does come out of his shell very easily when there are animals around. He seems to calm instantly when seeing one. He is very good with working with his hands, and with details. He is doing Pre-K work this year, and doing much better than I expected him to do. He shows more interest now that he is the center of attention for a little while.

Aaron is the most stubborn of the three. I don't necessarily think that is a bad thing, since that can be used to push him on for God in ways that no one will be able to stop him. He is also the most clutzy. Both things make the poor dear the most like me... and since he looks like a mini-me, he scares me the most of all my boys.



What kind of Homeschool do we have? Well, I grew up on A Beka Book, and I watched kids from other curriculums fail when it came to college where I had no difficulty. Therefore, I really LOVE A Beka Book. However, since they think a lot more of their materials than I am sometimes willing to pay, some of the things we are using are not from them. All Phonics and Reading curriculums are from A Beka, Spelling is from BJU, Math from Alpha Omega (the book form, not the paces), and Writing is a set that I found that I really LOVE. The first half of the year, we will be doing manuscript, then the second half, Andrew will learn cursive.

The younger boys are doing a Math from BJU K-5 curriculum, Phonics pretty well sticks with A Beka (but support materials come from whatever workbook or coloring book has something to do with the subject), Reading is coming from Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. I really like it so far. Nate read his first word on the third day into the program, and recognized it right away!! SO, things are going fairly well there.

As far as the KIND of Homeschool we are, I don't know. I'm a little nervous with my background in teaching to stray too far from the norms I knew there. However, I also believe that half of the trouble that boys got into when I was a teacher was due to a need to be up and moving. SO, my kind of Homeschool is to get it over as soon as possible and let them be boys. I still want them to learn to sit still and listen, but I want them to be able to be the energetic, enthusiastic, inquisitive little men God made them to be.