God has the plan...just roll with it!

the definition of education is such an individual thing, isn't it? especially for homeschool parents.

this time of year, always reminds me of the first homeschool convention i attended... way back when.. when tommie was maybe kindergarten age. boy-oh-boy, i thought i needed it all! i thought definitely for sure, that if i bought this certain book or product, it would catapult him into a prodigy.

i thought if i simulated a school schedule, he'd be a disciplined, obedient, well-organized kid.

i thought enrolling him in kindermusik, he'd love playing classical music... why, i even bought the homeschool classical c.d.'s to play in the background while we did math... does this look like a kid who thinks mozart rocks? no, i confess...he likes hank williams junior and kid rock.

i thought i needed pricey workbooks to teach patterns, i mean how else would he learn patterns.. i fondly remember one day, while i was getting the supplies ready- fresh colored markers and such...that he was in fact making patters with our dog snacks.

fast forward to creeping up on 6th grade... i notice that he still does so much better hand's on or orally. that's just how he is. i can't explain it...but i've learned to roll with it. take advantage of those teachable moments.... sort of like yesterday.... he had no clue what waterfowl birds were. probably because the word waterfowl isn't usually in our vocabulary, if at all. okay, never. flipping through our nature book... we looked at all the "waterfowl" birds and discussed them for a good length of time. did he need a workbook page and test on friday to retain this? ugh, no, i think not.

with our swan study, the book explained how swans at one time were branded like cows...and how the kind and queen of england, were the only people allowed to have swans... illegal for the rest of us, BUT, that they'd give them to other royalty as gifts... the king of France or Spain, etc. Why, to this day, the English Royalty employ a "swan-master." How would you like to write that on you credit card application... swan master. Get real.

we took advantage of locating where all the swans live and migrate to. siberia to asia minor.

advice i wish i would of known? work with what you've have. you can't make a tulip bulb bloom into a daffodil. but, they're equally perfect...in their own way. God has the plan just roll with it.