Week Three of Homeschool

I had intended to do daily updates about our homeschool journey and probably will continue to do so as needed, but I have been extra special busy lately and completely missed any update during week 2.

Towards the end of our first week, my mother was rushed to hospital with a suspected stroke. After two days of testing, magnesium (to reduce blood pressure) and rest she was released with no lasting side effects. During the daytime I kept to business as usual, during the evening I left the children in Ralph's care and went to be with her at the hospital.

Mom's release was in time for the maiden voyage of our camp-tent-trailer we'd purchased recently. (given the moniker, SS Snickelfritz) At her request, we continued with our plans and camped for 2 nights / 3 days at San Simeon State Park, just downwind from Hearst Castle. We could smell the ocean mingling with campfire smoke & at night we could hear the waves as though our little Snickelfritz would be swept out to sea. I brought "school" along, in the mornings Gabe and I worked amidst the squirrels and curious blackbirds.

At some point during my first week of school I had a small homeschool identity crisis. Using the packaged curriculum given to me by our resource teacher from the charter school, I felt as though Gabriel and I were only working to feed a ditto hungry monster, never quite satisfied. After a brief conversation with the resource teacher, who told me simply -- "of course it's boring and repetitious, what we've given you is the 'loaf'. It's a tasteless, bland compilation of everything you'd need to nourish yourself and survive. What you do with it and how you use it is up to you."

Given that encouragement, without hesitation I decided to go "off grid" (charter school speak for using an alternative curriculum other than state recommended) for Gabe's reading and writing assignments. Ultimately, as I gain more confidence I will likely go off grid for science and social studies as well.

We are now studying "Little House in the Big Woods" as a comparison to life today. I feel strongly that classic literature has a very valuable place in society and I want to expose Gabriel to as much as possible of that.