.:{ Homewood Info Night }:.

Last night I went to the Homewood's Information Night held in The Woodlands, TX. I invited my parents along. There were several booths set up, however Precious is only in Preschool so I had to skip quite a few booths. The ones that interested me were Hands Uplifted (Sign Language Courses), ICARE Homeschool Group, Classical Conversations and New Beginnings. I didn't realize Morning Star's 4-H was there, however Precious can't join until she's in the 3rd grade.

The highlight of my night was visiting the New Beginnings table. It's a support group for new or struggling homeschool parents. They have sessions available starting August. I'm planning to attend. I added a button for their site along the side, check them out if you live in the Houston or Dallas areas. You can also join them via webinar.

After getting home, I went through the contents of my "convention bag". On the outside of the bag showed "ads" for Rainbow Resource Center and Christianbook.com -- both are great places to look for books and supplies at decent prices. Then inside the bag were a few catalogs and brochures. I'll just list their websites:

Home Educating Family

Well Planned Day

My Father's World

The Classical Teacher

Apologia

Home Science Tools

And this last one was a surprise, Operation Christmas Child. I have done this several times as a child and will probably make this a new tradition with Precious. You pack a shoe box with gifts for a boy or girl and send a donation of $7+ to help with shipping cost and drop it off at a collection location. National Collection week is the 3rd week of November which usually falls around Thanksgiving. Have you done this in the past?

I hope I've given you some great sites to check out. There will be another Conference the first weekend of June that I will be attending as well. It's arranged by the Southeast Texas Home School Association (SETHSA) called "Gulf Coast Home Education Conference", this is their 25th year. I'm looking forward to hearing Susan Wise Bauer.

Here's a funny little story about SETHSA. Two years ago, I had received an invitation to their 23rd Conference (it was mailed to the wrong address). It wasn't until then that I realized how big the community was for Homeschoolers. If you are reading this blog for the first time and trying to see if Homeschooling is for you, please take a look around the WWW and in the BlogWorld. It's amazing how much support you can receive.

Before I forget, yesterday afternoon, I visited the Homeschool House and scored! I found a used Melissa & Doug's Magnetic Calendar and paid 6 bucks! Sweet!

Have a wonderful day!

.:{ Getting Started }:.

I'm embarking into the world of Homeschooling, if that's the right way to say it. Precious (my daughter's blog nickname) is 3 1/2 years old, my only child that I have been blessed with. When she was about a year old, I made the firm decision that I was homeschooling her. There are many reasons for this decision. I will only list two. The major two everyone talks about.

1}:. The school district we live in sucks, horribly, and has gotten worst not better. I'm originally from Southern California and the education I received was 400% better than what is offered here in East Texas (sorry if this offends anyone).

2}:. We can't afford private school. I wish we could because there are a few good schools around here. Although I will have to pay for the supplies to educate Precious, it will not be near the cost of a private school.

Many people worry about the socialization of homeschool children and I'm not worried in this aspect. I plan to be sure Precious is given as many opportunities as possible. I am part of a local mom's group. We plan to join local homeschool groups and attend homeschool events available at the local museums and zoo. And we plan to enroll her in activity classes, whatever she desires, be it dance, music, art and/or sports.

Originally I had started homeschooling Precious in August of last year but it slowly fizzled out just before her birthday in October when several family issues came about. I tried my best to get us back on track and never could. I finally decided I would just keep her engaged in everyday things and worry about becoming more formal in the new school year (2011-2012).

To start off our journey this summer, I have ordered several different books on homeschooling and teaching styles. I plan to read each book and will give a review/summary. The books listed at the top of the posts are the books I'll be looking at. I have studied several other families throughout the blogging community and have listed favorites. I'm amazed at the strength that these families have and find them to be inspiring. I can only hope to inspire others as well.

I believe my style will be classical/eclectic. I got this idea from one specific book that I didn't list . The book is called "100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum", by Cathy Duffy. I had borrowed this from my local library last summer. I highly recommend this to anyone who needs a better understanding of the style that is best for them.

I really am looking forward to this journey with Precious. God will guide us in the direction we are meant to follow. We are happy to have anyone tag along for the ride!