Friday, May 22, 2009

Challenge

I just watched an Oprah show about giving up technology for a week. I am eager to begin this challenge and wonder if my family will be game. If we begin it, the challenge is simple: no tv, cell phones, computers, or video games for 7 days. In addition, there is no eating out and we must budget our groceries to max out at $125 for the week.

The intended outcome will be a more present and connected family...something I am sure we all can agree is beneficial.

Would anyone like to join us on this challenge? There is no time like the present to begin.

Monday, May 11, 2009

Social Graces

This blog has been a little slow because I feel like we aren't ready for typical lessons, which I anticipate blogging about in the upcoming years. Georgia is too young to write her name, read her own books, or even ask many questions. Since we are still working on her speech, counting (everything adds up to nine), and the differences between pink and fuchsia, our learning process is pretty elemental.

Today, she gave us our first lesson. We are beginning with social graces, and when you think about it, everything stems from them. We were at University Village looking for an outfit for her brother's birthday tomorrow and a woman walked past us on the street. Georgia said, clear as day, "Hi!" to the woman as we passed. She turned around with a big smile and said "Hi" back. In that moment I realized that I had done something right in teaching G to approach people and be friendly. I quickly felt pride in her outgoing nature and realized we need to use this as a stepping stool. Our next step is developing a solid handshake and looking adults in the eye when speaking with them.

These seem like really elementary lessons but don't they practice this in preschool and kindergarten? If they don't, they should and if they do...well, isn't it better to practice it in real life instead of with your peers in an artificial setting?

As it stands now, I am feeling pretty good about our decision to homeschool.