Is there ever actually a “last day” of a homeschool? As a homeschooling mama, I don’t want my kids to totally veg out over the summer so we keep a few lessons going, yet at a much more casual pace.
What did we achieve this year?
The main goal this year was to prepare for high school. After I attended a Credits Before College seminar, we started looking into credit by exam options also. This spring, Care Bear passed the DSST Astronomy exam, alhamdulilah! As the year progressed, I asked for more responsibility on Care Bear’s part, in sha Allah prepping her for the harder work ahead, and having her work at a higher level.
We also got to the botton of some health issues for both Care Bear and Little Miss. Long story short, we found both girls are sensitive to some foods and life has been exponentially easier since we got to the bottom of it all.
While it isn’t academic in nature, this year we got the fact that we will continue homeschooling recorded in our court paperwork with Care Bear’s dad. No longer will each summer bring undue stress over whether he will agree to us homeschooling another year. I can’t express how extremely relieved I really am. Allahu akbar!
What did we learn this year?
Academic learning happened of course, including Algebra, World History, Logic (my favorite!), Geography, Qur’an memorization, Tafseer, etc. The biggest lesson I learned is that Care Bear much prefers working by herself, though her favorite courses are always the ones where she works with someone else. Next year, I’ll be trying to find a balance between the two.
Little Miss is much more familiar with letters and numbers, alhamdulilah. She counts things, and sometimes even has the numbers in the right order, hehe! I’ve learned she is much different than Care Bear in that she does not like to sit down and do academic things, where Care Bear loved workbooks and anything that felt like “school.”
What are we looking forward to this summer?
Ramadan is right in the middle of the summer this year, effectively cutting the summer into three parts: before Ramadan, Ramadan, and after Ramadan, alhamdulilah. I’m most likely not fasting again this year since Tulip will only be a few months old and still nursing. One aspect I like about the break from nursing is I will in sha Allah have the energy to make Ramadan a comfortable and enjoyable experience for the rest of my family.
Care Bear is going to volunteer at the local library helping with their summer programs, in sha Allah. She is quite excited for her first “job!” I want to take the little girls to various nature centers to explore, and Care Bear can take her camera with since she’s really enjoying the photography classes she’s been taking.
Care Bear will be working on a couple exams to get college credit, and I’ll be putting more focus on Little Miss. Rather than just getting through the day, I want to start building a routine for her and get more reading time in for her. Taking walks to the library and to nearby parks will be cornerstone. The park by our house even has a weekly puppet show!
All in all, it feels like we had a pretty good year. I’m very excited for next year and the opportunities it will be, in sha Allah.
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