Our First Day of Faith Christian Academy 2013-2014!

Our first day of Faith Christian Academy went wonderful! I praise God for an amazing day and how we got everything done that we had planned.  My day began in the Word and then as the kids got up we made some breakfast.  We took the ceremonial first day pictures and then, together, we prayed for God to guide our steps this year as we seek to honor and glorify Him.

The ONLY way to begin my day!

Louie overseeing operations! lol!

Our school uniforms were our pajamas, shoes were optional, and our big golden retriever, Louie, kept a close watch and made sure everyone stayed on task. Actually, he slept most of the time but he did wake up if anyone neared the kitchen as he eagerly awaited a treat. Our classroom was the living room and, yes, in that one classroom was 4^th grade, 7^th grade, and 11^th grade.  Caleb donned his reading glasses and was ready to go. Oh my mercy, he really doesn’t have reading glasses but found these very dapper plastic fake ones that he thinks makes him look extremely smart. Ben really wanted to add white tape to the bridge and call him a “nerd” but I discouraged that, as it probably would have not been the best way to start day 1.

No words.....

Caleb has had a little “back to school” anxiety for the last few years and today was no different. As we got ready to begin, the tears were welling up in his eyes. Now, Caleb is an incredibly happy child and loves to learn, but he sure hates giving up his summer for hitting the books again. (But then again, who doesn’t?) It usually takes a couple of days to get the “back to school” blues behind us but as he got into his new curriculum, he actually started laughing and telling me how “cool” it was! Lol! He even began lecturing me on all he was learning about his Bible lesson as Peter met Jesus. You know, maybe those glasses helped after all! Lol!  Finding his niche was something we have been praying about as far as school is concerned and hopefully this will work great for him this year.

We have a number of different curriculums we are using this year for the kids.  When homeschooling, choosing curriculum can be very overwhelming. There is so much out there and finding what will work for your kids can be a little of trial and error. Though last year went well, we knew that we had to find things that worked better for each one of them. We don’t want to just sit and do worksheets all day. We want them to enjoy learning and get the most out of it. This year, Caleb will be using a curriculum that is computerized. As he goes through each subject, there are games, videos, and other fun activities that go along with it. No textbooks! As he opens his home screen, there is a daily Bible verse, word of the day, fun facts from that day in history and much more. He was fascinated with his History lesson and learning about maps! I do believe he will now be our little GPS on every road trip. Haha! Now, if you are wondering if he ever writes anything since it all computerized, the answer is “yes”.  He still has handwriting and many other things to get plenty of writing in and we incorporate writing scripture as well.  The thing that he loves is that it is not all worksheets.

Homeschool in action!

Callie is using a different curriculum for every subject. She is doing Pre-Algebra this year which is computer based, Science is traditional textbook, English, she will be doing along with Ben by on online class. They log on every Thursday as their teacher teaches live by webinar and then they do their assignments during the week. Their teacher is available through email for questions and all their assignments are scanned in to her and she grades them. Vocab will be a new course as well. For Bible, Callie is using a Bible study that she picked out and her History and electives will be taken at WCA. In addition to regular classes, she will also be doing a number of “life skills” that we feel are important do learn. She is a JV cheerleader at WCA and will be volunteering in the church nursery as soon as she turns 13.

Ben has entered his junior year and we are excited about his lineup this year! He will be taking a computerized Chemistry course, English is online with Callie, and for Math this year he is taking Dave Ramsey’s financial course for high schoolers. We know the importance of kids learning basic financial lessons before they are thrust into the real world. He will also be doing Vocab and a Bible study that he has chosen. His History class and electives will be taken at WCA. He will play varsity basketball at WCA and will continue to teach a small group in church every Sunday morning. He is also looking for a part-time job, which we have found very hard to come by.

Ben, deep in thought!

After we finished our school day, we headed off to the big town of Burgaw to the library. They are all equipped with a new book (or 2) to read and learn.

What a great day! I enjoy seeing my kids work together and help each other! They really are an amazing group of kids and I praise God for each one of them! Our year is off to a great start and we look forward to all God has in store!

“You crown the year with Your goodness,
And Your paths drip with abundance.”

Psalm 65:11

 

My blessings!