Just some info about our homeschool.
What’s in a name?
After much deliberation and a year of being unnamed we finally decided on the name Pathways Academy, named after the famous Robert Frost poem. Because by homeschooling, we are taking the path less traveled and our prayer is that home education and the way we raise our children will make all the difference.
Meet the Students.
We have two brilliant little girls who are both starting second grade in mid June.
Sisters and Friends
They are as different as night and day.
Shaylie and a dress up dress that she made!
Shaylie, our oldest, is our little artist. She wants to be a fashion designer when she grows up and at the age of seven has her own sewing machine and is constantly making herself something to wear. She is a very tactile learner and has a hard time sitting still. She hates “busy work”. While she grasps math concepts quickly she despises workbooks. She loves to read and reads her Devotional Bible for girls nightly. I just love to see the little notes she makes as she reads. Talk about melting your heart!!! If we’re not having school, chances are you’ll find her outside playing with her dog. They are the true definition of best friends.
Nevaeh is our little bookworm. She loves to read. She would sit and read to me all day. She is
Nevaeh doing a worksheet...happy as can be!
a very visual learner. She loves math and would sit and do math worksheets for hours. She doesn’t find much enjoyment in art. Asking her to color a picture is pure torture for her. While she likes playing outside, she is more of a our “tech-child”. She loves to play with her Leap Pad, games on my cell phone, taking pictures and playing the wii. She’s always been a Mommy’s girl but is recently becoming Daddy’s little helper, wanting to help him with anything he does!
Meet the Teachers
I do most of the teaching however my husband steps in often to provide a different approach or to supplement.
Our Curriculum
We have switched curriculum each year so far trying to find something that we love. For the 2012-2013 year we will be using Adventures in My Father’s World for history, geography, Bible, and Art. We are super excited to begin. We have friends who use it and absolutely love it. I was hesitant to spend $350 for only a portion of our books, but with me working full-time, I really need a curriculum that is all planned out for! I wish I had the time to piece together our own. I’m sure I would save a ton of money, but in this season of my life it wouldn’t be good for my sanity to attempt that!
We will be continuing with Horizons for Math. We used Horizons for Math in first grade too. I really liked the content. The lessons were short and the colored pages made it fun. I really liked their spiral approach. Nevaeh absolutely loves it. She would ask to do lesson after lesson. Shaylie would tolerate it for one lesson but then she was done. I’m really considering switching her to Life of Fred. I think she would enjoy it much more.
For Language Arts we are going to be trying out Learning Language Arts Through Literature. I’ve heard great reviews. Since the girls are reading fluently we decided to move on from a phonics program.
For Spelling we are using are using Building Spelling Skills Grade 2 by Evan-Moor simply because I found it at a consignment sale super cheap. It looks really good!
Curriculum Chaos!
Our Schedule
We use a year-round type approach and take breaks as needed. This worked out great for us the past two years because my work schedule was so unpredictable, but this year I have a more stable schedule so we are planning to school Monday-Friday mornings, be finished by lunch time and have our afternoons free.
Disclaimer: Our homeschool is a complete work in progress being transformed daily by the grace of God. In three short years, I’ve learned the importance of letting go and letting God guide our days. While we may attempt to stay on schedule and follow our curriculum, we welcome interruptions that allow us to grow as a family and show Christ’s love to others.
And some days we do school dressed like superheroes!
I have been following your husband for more than a year now. His spiritual journey most resembles my own (only mine covers about 42 years). However, I think I have a lot more in common with you. I, too, am home-schooling, working full-time, and I have two young girls. I have always wanted to home-school, This is only my first official month, but I LOVE it! My daughters are 5 and 3, so it’s kindergarten and preschool at the moment. I am recently divorced and living in Thailand for financial reasons (I can afford to feed my family here). I teach at a university here, and am able to teach my girls as well. I would not be able to do that in the states. I love your idea of upside down school. That is why I wanted to home -school. There is structure, but it’s NOT “school.” I have been a teacher for 22 years –all ages, all levels –including preschool. I’m pretty qualified, and I’m the best teacher I know. I will tell you though, a month ago, I was scared to death! –But it has been awesome! What I really love is that at our dinner prayers, my daughters ALWAYS thank God for their school that day! It makes me want to cry. No reward is greater than that! Anyway, I just wanted to say –thank you for being out there –I think sometimes we “upside down” people feel a little isolated. There are so many home-schooling programs now, but really, it’s still cookie-cutter and that is absolutely what I DON’T want.
Hey Katheryn! Thanks for stopping by! Good luck on your homeschooling journey. Your daughters are at such fun ages
. Homeschooling is scary. There is no way around that, but it’s such a huge blessing. I think it speaks volumes that your children are thankful for school. You’re definitely doing something right! 
Isn’t it great to have the freedom to ditch what doesn’t work and use what does? If they were in public (or private) school they’d be stuck with what the teacher picked even if it totally didn’t work for them!
It’s certainly a blessing to be able to switch your curriculum until you find what works. Thankfully we found our main curriculum from the beginning (Sonlight) but we’ve been through quite a few math and LA options over the years.
Wonderful! Your daughters are sweet and way to go (on the dress!). I am visiting from the Curriculum Choice 2012-13 Link Up. Happy Homeschooling!!
Hi Jessica! Thanks for stopping by!