Can I really do it? Where do I begin?

This week I was corresponding with a mama who has some huge concerns about the education her child with special needs is receiving in the public school.

I'm frequently asked the same types of questions that all boil down to this:

Can I really do it?

And I have a bold answer for you:  YES, YOU CAN!!!!

Please let me assure you, no one (except God) loves your child as much as you do.  No one wants your child to succeed like you do.  No one knows your child like you do.  No one will work as hard as you to teach your child.

Now, there is a big learning curve.  There is no set "guidebook" that tells you everything you need to do.  But you will learn.  You will make mistakes.  You will want to quit (many times over).  But guess what, you will also be the one that gets to see the progress!  You get to see the light bulb turn on and the spark in your child's eyes.  You will also learn more through the process than you could ever imagine.

The other question that I'm most often asked is:

Where do I start?

Well, it depends where you live.  It is important to thoroughly research and know what you need to do to legally homeschool.  If you search for "homeschool requirements in (your state)" it should provide you with a starting point.  You may have to register with an umbrella school or your local superintendent.  You also want to see what you need to keep track of for legal purposes.  This may be:  attendance, books, resources, curriculum, etc.  You want to see if your child will have to take standardized tests, requirements for exemption and whether or not you will need to submit a portfolio of their work.

I know it sounds a little overwhelming, but it is really not that bad.  The important thing is, you want to do it right.  Homeschooling is legal in all 50 states, but the requirements vary considerably.  So do your homework!

Next time, we will discuss curriculum!  Happy Days, my friends!
Jennifer

I'm going to get better at this...

It is that time of year again, time to break out the new pencils and fresh crayons. It's time for SCHOOL! If you are a homeschooling parent like me, you may feel like you've always got one part of you in the "school zone". But there's something about a new year that brings optimism and perspective. We are easing in our year. I've refused to officially begin until after Labor Day, but we're adding a few activities to our schedule each week.

One of my goals for this new year is to actually blog on my blogs! I know, novel idea. I really want to document what we do, so that I remember it and so someone else might actually use our ideas. Please feel free to tell me what you would like to see on the blog. This year my big girl is 13, and my little girl is 3. They both keep me VERY busy. Biggy is so independent, she wants to do everything alone and though that is good, she doesn't realize the potential for disaster at times. She is very creative and curious and really just a joy. She has Down Syndrome and sensory integration disorder. Her greatest struggles include speech, language and math. She has severe apraxia, but desperately tries to communicate. We are going to spend a lot of time on that this year.

 Bitty is like a little tornado. She doesn't just "do things", she massacres them! She talks non-stop and is as smart as a whip. She amazes me with her memory and recall and she has the best sense of humor. She has sensory issues and some other things going on that I am desperately trying to figure out. My biggest struggle with her is to keep her calm enough to get her attention and focus.

 I'm currently in the process of refining our goals for the year, gathering our supplies and making some things. I thought I would share a picture of one item that I made last night. These are number cards. I made them out of rectangular foam squares. I wrote the number, traced the numicon shape (so they could match it up) and then a spot to put a clothespin on for each number.

Happy Homeschooling! Jennifer