Homeschool for a Day

Ever since Little Lewie was born, I entertained the idea of homeschool.  What if I could be a stay-at-home mom and be the one to teach Lewie everything I know?  There are many wonderful mommy bloggers that are doing just that, and I won't lie, their lives seem fun, rewarding, and fulfilled.  They don't have to worry about whether the new "common core curriculum" will help their children learn, whether their children are being bullied in class, or whether their teacher/s are successful at keeping their children's class under control.    They also don't have to worry about their children being held back or being kept from challenging themselves just because the rest of the class isn't at the same level.

As a parent, I worry about all these things and more when it comes to my child's education, and I especially worry as my son will be entering kindergarten next year.  Our town does not have a full-day kindergarten option for my son, and so I am faced with the dilemma of finding another "affordable" kindergarten that will provide a full-day experience; otherwise, he will go to school for two and a half hours and be placed in a "day-care" setting for the remaining four, which is hardly ideal.  This topic will be continued for sure...

Yesterday, Lewie woke up with a croup cough, and quickly my husband and I made arrangements to stay at home with our little boy.  I would take the morning off from work, and my husband would take the afternoon.  After Lewie and I finished breakfast, he piped in, "Mommy, can we play school today?  We can do a craft in the morning, have snack, and then read a book.  We'll have school at home." 

I loved this idea.  In fact, I had to pinch myself because I couldn't believe these words were coming out of my son's mouth instead of my own.  I quickly took out this train craft that I bought, and Lewie and I decorated the train by using scissors, glue, and, of course, his imagination. 

"Aren't I cre-tive?"  Lewie asked. 

"Yes, you are very cre-a-tive," I agreed.

It became a lesson in using our fine motor skills and creativity, and since the craft was all about creating his own train/engine, he couldn't be more attentive.  He was proud of his little train, asking if he could hang it up after it dried.  It was at that moment that I realized my son has never brought home a craft to me from daycare or preschool that he wanted to hang up.   Why was this craft so special to him?  Was it because it's a train, or was it because the two of us really took a lot of time and concentration to make it perfect? 

After his little craft, I prepared a fruit and yogurt parfait snack, and we read books.  It was the most perfect, unexpected morning I've had in a long time.  I think I could really love this homeschool thing...  If only I had the courage to leave my full-time job again...

Very meticulously choosing his train scheme. 

His masterpiece.  Perfect because it's exactly how he wanted to make it without any suggestions from Mommy!