Well, It Looks Good on Paper...

The Glass Fam Homeschool Schedule:

7:00 - 7:30   Rise and shine, get dressed, make beds

7:30 - 8:00   Eat breakfast, family devotion

8:30 - 9:00   Bible/Geography/History
{These are placed together as one lesson because it provides the children with a Biblical worldview and places the Bible realistically into history so that, just as geography and history are true and real, the child understands that the events in the Bible are as well.}

9:00 - 9:30   Arithmetic 

9:30 - 10:00    Picture Study on Mon. 

                        Nature Study on Tues. 

                        Music Study on Wed.  

                        Poetry on Thurs. 

                        Art on Fri. 

                       

10:00 - 10:30   Literature/Grammar 

10:30 - 11:00   Copywork, Phonics and Writing

11:00 - 11:30   Personal Development/Character Study

11:30 - 12:00   Finish up any work that needs to be completed, get ready for lunch 

Below are some of the books we'll be using this year in our Bible/History/Geography Lessons along with the Nature Journal we'll use for our Nature Studies.

The other two books are what I'm reading right now and highly recommend:
{When Children Love to Learn & Honey for a Child's Heart by Gladys Hunt}

Since this is my first year to homeschool and use the Charlotte Mason method,  I found Simply Charlotte Mason to be a HUGE help.  They offer book lists, lesson plans and suggestions for most classes and suggestions for math for each grade level.  They also provide printables like the one below that help schedule your year.

This is the lesson planner I'll be using this year.  LOVE IT.  It offers organizational help {and not just with schooling} along with encouraging scripture, quotes and articles.

But Lord, How Can I Do This?

It was the summer of 2011 and our oldest son, Isaiah, was approaching kindergarten. As Guy and I were praying about what we wanted to do, God placed the desire in my heart to homeschool. But I quickly dismissed it. After two weeks in public school we decided that it wasn't for our family and we made the decision to send him to a Christian school in our neighborhood. It wouldn't be until 2013 and halfway through the boys' pre-k and first grade school year {Elijah was now attending the school too} that we finally made the decision to take the plunge and homeschool.

The next six months would be a roller coaster of emotions for me. Can I even do this? Will the boys even learn anything? My days were lumped into two major categories. Really good and really bad.  It was either a faith-filled, I-can-do-this, fist pump kind of day or a weep fest full of self-doubt and a lack-of-confidence-in-myself kind of day.  It was pretty pitiful. I'll admit that the first day I was supposed attend the Texas Homeschool Convention I was in my bed with the blanket pulled up to my neck crying to my husband that I just couldn't do it--that I just wasn't capable. Self reliance and fear had emerged after weeks of slowly dripping into my heart and mind like a leaky faucet. Suddenly everything I knew to be true about what God placed in my heart was tossed to the side.

I've read this verse a hundred times.  I've heard it preached two hundred. I've spoken it into the lives of others.  But reality is that I had never experienced the words of this verse for myself until I was in a position of feeling completely inadequate.

God gets the glory when He does something magnificent in our lives through our weaknesses.  When we place our fears to the side and look to Him to do something great in us, we experience His power and presence.  That's his desire for us--to fully depend on Him.  But not in something we're great at, usually it's something we're not so great at.  It's easy to brag on ourselves when something comes easy to us and when what He's calling us to do something doesn't involve fear, dependency on Him and weakness.  He chooses to show Himself and His power in the weakest parts of His people because this brings Him glory.  He does extraordinary things in ordinary people.

"Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses..." {2 Corinthians 12: 9-10}

God placed a desire in my heart that was entirely outside of my cozy little box.  He took my hand, and with encouragement that only a loving father can provide, pushed me to the edge of the box and told me to fly.

So, as I made my final plea and asked, "But Lord, how can I do this?"  He replied to me through His Word and said:

What has Christ placed in your heart that you don't have the confidence in yourself to do?   I have good news, friend.  You don't have to have confidence in yourself, just confidence in the One that placed the desire there.  He can be trusted and will see to completion the work He's begun in you {Philippians 1:6.}

The picture below is me pulling into the THSC Convention!  This was the day after the meltdown. I had an AMAZING time and was blessed beyond measure by the speakers and fellow homeschool moms I had the pleasure of meeting.  Can't wait for next years conference :)

Mrs. Glass's Pupils

Our school year will start September 3rd and these two precious, full-of-life, silly and handsome boys will be my little pupils.  We'll have a kindergartner and a 2nd grader {Seriously???}  God Himself loaned them to us to care for and disciple while they're here on earth.  BLESSED.

The whole family :)  Words fall terribly short of just how wonderful and inspiring my husband is.  Blessed beyond measure by the love and grace he shows me and our sweet boys.

Psalm 127:4

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord.

{Pictures courtesy of JW Baugh Photography}

The Charlotte Mason Method

When I made the decision to homeschool I had NO CLUE how many different methods were out there. Our boys attended a private school that followed the classical education method, but aside from that, I was clueless. There's eclectic, classical, unschooling, Waldorf, and unit studies just to name a few.  After doing some digging on a handful of websites and blogs that were incredibly helpful {HEDUA.com is one of my faves}I decided that the Charlotte Mason method was the best fit for me and the boys.  So, who exactly was Charlotte Mason and what was her method?

The Charlotte Mason Method:  A method of education where children are taught as whole persons through a wide range of interesting living books, firsthand experiences and good habits.

Charlotte Mason was an educator in the 1800's who dedicated her life to improving children's education. She was also a profoundly Christian woman.  You could sum up her method in three parts: that education is an atmosphere {the surroundings in which a child grows up, a child absorbs a lot from his home environment}, a discipline {the cultivation of good habits, specifically habits of character}, a life {the idea that we should give children living thoughts and ideas, not just dry facts}.

For example, Miss Mason used living books with her students instead of dry textbooks.  Living books are typically written in story form by an author who has a passion for the subject.  A living book makes the subject "come alive."

Charlotte Mason also encourages a lot of time outdoors, interacting and observing God's creation firsthand.

Like me, many homeschooling families have adopted Charlotte Mason's philosophy and methods as they seek to educate the whole child, not just their minds.

Simply Charlotte Mason was a HUGE help to me as I started my adventure!  Here's the website below:

www.simplycharlottemason.com

Another outstanding resource for understanding a Charlotte Mason education is:

www.charlottemasoneducation.com

Some great resources:
{I'm currently reading "When Children Love to Learn" and I can't put it down!}

Charlotte Mason's Student Motto:

Deuteronomy 6: 5-7

You shall love the LORD your God will all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.  And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.  You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

The Schoolroom

{Hello sweet friends}

Eeeeeks!  I've been excited to get our schoolroom together since the day we decided to homeschool.  I love school supplies.  I love teacher supplies.  And better yet, I love stores that sell both.  It's heaven to me.  An endless array of learning posters, art supplies, pencils, construction paper, things to organize them in, bulletin boards--you get the idea.  I couldn't have made our schoolroom so cozy and practical without those that have already paved the way in homeschool room decor and posted them on Pinterest.  Thank you fellow homeschool moms for such cute and creative ideas--you are appreciated :)

Here are a few pictures of our schoolroom:

The Reading Tree is one of my favorite things in the room.  For every book the boys read they write their name and the name of the book on a leaf and stick it on the tree.  By the end of the year we'll have a wall full of beautiful, green leaves--isn't that exciting???

We decided to teach the boys using the Charlotte Mason method.  Best decision we've made since deciding to homeschool.  I had looked into several methods/curriculum and without question this is the best fit for our boys and family.  Charlotte Mason was an educator in the 1800's and a profoundly Chrisitian woman.  She had the children memorize the following:  "I Am.  I Can.  I Ought.  I Will."  So naturally, I had to have it up in the schoolroom.  I'll be talking a lot about Charlotte Mason in future posts!

This is the boys' desk.  Fully equipped with alphabet chart, parts of speech, United States Presidents, cool desk lamp, maps and other fun things for the day like a box of tissues.  We'll probably never really use the tissues, but what's a schoolroom without a box of tissues???

3 John: 4

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.