Mid-Way Point!! =D

So, we've made it to past the mid way point of our first legal school year!  I just submitted our first term report to our Non-Approved Private School so that Olivia's information can be updated with the State of Maine.

And everyday Olivia progresses beautifully through her lessons.  She completes them with excitement and school time has become a favorite part of my day.  It is wonderful to see her grow and hear her read....it is a wonderful feeling, knowing that I taught her how to read; a skill that is one of the most important ones she will need to succeed though life.

I am happy to see her excitement when she learns about whatever it is we are studying...for example, in health this week we learned about the heart.  I watched her eyes grow large as she realized the heart pumps from a few weeks after conception, till the day you die.  Then, in social studies, we learned about how people survive living in the dessert.  She learned about the Tuareg and Bedouin cultures that survive in the dessert, transporting goods on camels.  Then, in Science we delved into the changing of the seasons and why they change.  She learned the term "Land of the Midnight Sun," and was only too happy to explain it to Daddy when he got home from work.

It is wonderful to have the opportunity to home-school my children...If I didn't have this opportunity, I would have perhaps missed the signs of Maddox's intelligence and aptitude for learning, as he has an amazing memory and has already memorized many of the letters of the alphabet.  He even watches Olivia's Hooked on Phonics videos as she does her phonics lessons.

Homeschooling has already brought much joy and independence to our family.  I cannot imagine being a stay at home Mom and not doing homeschooling.  It allows for a deeper connection with my children than most people have, and it allows me to learn right along with the kids.  Olivia loves it when Mumma learns a new interesting fact; she always giggles when she finds that Mumma doesn't know everything!

So, we continue to enjoy our lessons, halfway done the school year already with lots of cool stuff still to learn.  =)