NCHE Conference

The day had arrived. We were all looking forward to it. We were going to the North Carolina Home Educators (NCHE) Conference in Winston-Salem. Well, we were actually just going to go to the book fair (which is phenomenal) as we couldn't go to the whole conference this year due to scheduling issues. Drew wasn't sure he would be able to come until last week and I'm so glad he was as his opinion is invaluable to me. The girls were excited because they knew we were going to be getting some great stuff for our homeschool and also because Aunt Kris and Mikala were going to meet us and take them to the Hands-On Museum there in Winston. They did this last year and had such a blast!
We arrived a little before 2, got the girls off and Drew, Ward, and myself headed to the Convention Center to browse and get what we needed. Now, I have been researching different curriculums trying to decide what we were going to do for next year for Evie in her "kindergarten" year. She is a beginning reader and has really flown through the K/1 math workbooks I've gotten for her at Wal-Mart so I wasn't sure what we would do. I have been talking to several homeschooling moms (whose children I see/have seen doing well) who are further along in the journey than I including my mother-in-law and also my mom who teaches kindergarten. As with everything, there are varied opinions and so many resources out there. I am most grateful for all the advice I have been given. Drew and I have talked and had almost certainly decided to just piece some different things together. I was going to work this summer to get it all planned out (you know, carved in Jell-O) so when Cade arrived most of the work would be done. Then, some of our good friends had some really good things to say that we hadn't thought about.
The McDill's are great friends of ours and when they had their fourth child they were also at the "four 5 and under" point we'll be in (their 7th child will be arriving in the next few weeks) and starting kindergarten with their oldest. Here are the things Matthew and Dana brought up that really made us reconsider some things:

1. You can certainly pull from different resources for Evie for kindergarten. However, the further down the line you go with your children you will probably find that you will "need" something to keep you on track when #3 and #4 hit kindergarten as you will have others you'll be teaching.
2. Since we knew we wanted to do a more encompassing curriculum (as opposed to one for history, a different one for language arts, math, science, etc) from first grade on, it's nice to go on and get a year "under your belt" as a mom because it can be a big adjustment. With Evie being advanced, it'll be OK if I stumble some, etc. Plus, it will be nice to have that experience when Evie is at "1st grade level" and MF is in "kindergarten."
3. We definitely knew we wanted something that would allow me to teach several children in several different subjects (history, Bible, science) at one time and then allow them to do individual work on those at their own level to simplify everything. Of course, English and math would be individual. Most curriculums are written this way these days and it is great.
4. They have been using My Father's World since they started and have really enjoyed it. Of course, as Dana says, they're "not married to it" but have been very pleased and have continued on with it (their oldest will be 11 in a few weeks).
5. There are so many great curriculums/programs out there now that have great project ideas, etc. why make it harder on myself to pull everything together from different sources? Having it laid out for me for the most part allows me to have more time with our family and that's what this is about anyway!

My Father's World is something we had looked into along with several other curriculums and resources before this conversation with the McDill's. We really liked it because the mom who has written it has homeschooled six children and also has a background in education. It's fun, challenging for the child, laid out very well, and easy to understand. It's also very affordable. A portion of their profits go to help fund Bible translations which is something they were intimately involved in as a family for many years prior to writing and starting My Father's World. Needless to say, after praying, looking back over everything, and considering all the advice we had been given, we have decided to use My Father's World this Fall with Evie. We are super excited about it!

We got all of our stuff for kindergarten yesterday at the My Father's World booth along with some educational toys for Ward and four "Hidden Pictures" books for MF (she is a whiz at them!). We also got two books that I'm excited to be able to read to the kids during lunch, "Ten Girls Who Made a Difference" by Irene Howat (one in a series) and "Missionary Stories with the Millers" by Mildred A. Martin. I was also able to put my hands on some other books and resources I have been considering to see if they would make good presents for birthdays or Christmas which is always nice so I know if they'd really be as beneficial as I think they would. :)

Yesterday was a very exciting and exhausting day. This morning Evie and I organized all of her student packet so we could be on the lookout for other things to add (magazine pictures, etc) over the summer. She wanted to start today! I had to tell her we had a few more things to accomplish this summer before we could launch into that but we could play with some of the books and manipulatives now if she wanted. She did. :) Mary Fran, I think, had already gotten through one of her "Hidden Pictures" books by 9 AM and Ward is thoroughly enjoying his new puzzles and stacking pegs.

Drew and I are both so excited about starting more "formally" with our firstborn this Fall but are reminded that learning is always going on here and that character training is far more important than academics. There is need for both but our emphasis is on developing our little ones' characters and everything else will take care of itself.

Now, we just need to come up with a great name for our school...