More on K12 Homeschooling

It feels like forever since I last made a post about our Homeschool adventures!

Maybe that is because it really has been awhile since I was last on here with any updates.  Needless to say, I have been a little busy.

We have just finished up the 3rd quarter, and the girls are taking Benchmark testing this week.  Ugh! Yes, we are still having to do state testing with the program we are using, K12. There is a small part of me that is ok with that, because both girls are wanting to go back to brick and mortar school next year.  So that being the case, I want them used to doing the tests. However, I have to say the testing that public schools do with our kids, is one of the biggest issues I have with them. I have learned this past quarter, more than any other time in my life raising kids , that our public education system is truly teaching our kids to test.   I think I will stop with that, .I don’t want to get started on that subject with this post….because I believe that is a subject I can cover all by itself!!

At any rate, what I have found with having the girls home , taking their Benchmark tests is that they are so much more relaxed!!  They know as soon as they are done with the test, that the break they get is truly a break! I mean, at school, they are still physically in their school day… and are bound to do other school work.  At home , they have to do 30 minutes of math with an online program (Khan Academy) and they have to read for 30 minutes. Then they are done for the day. It makes for a much more pleasant testing day!!

We had a wonderful experience with Valentines this year.  As February approached, I wasn’t sure how I was going to handle the whole Valentine exchange thing.   Thankfully , I am connected with a wonderful group of mom’s that also have their children in K12…and we all exchanged addresses and the kids physically wrote out their Valentines.  We used good old fashioned “snail mail” to send them out. The girls LOVED getting a bunch of letters in the mail, and still got to celebrate Valentines the same way they have always been used to doing it in school.   

I decided to use the holiday to do an outreach project in our community for Valentines.  The girls made up 150 Valentines, added candy to them (some homemade cards, and some store bought cards) and we took them to a our local Retirement Home.   The girls got a big kick out of doing it and the residents at the Retirement Home were so happy to receive them. While we were making the Valentines, it gave me a chance to teach the girls about loving on other people and making sure that we always take time to give to others.   We talked about what happens as we get older, and why sometimes it is best to live in a facility. As a result, both girls have asked if we can go back and visit. What a smile that gave me!!

So now we are halfway through March, and are looking forward to Spring Break!!   We don’t have any big vacation plans for this break, as we are planning a Beach Vacation at the end of the school year. (more about that on another post)  I am sure we will get out and do some simple fun things, like head to the park, have an arts and craft day, maybe even get to go to the movies. Although, I have to admit, I haven’t seen a lot of kid friendly movies coming out lately.  

As a side note, check out this amazing site I found to help you with YOUR child’s education!!   It has wonderful tools to assist you, it is a rare find!!  Stop by and visit them HERE !!

Well, I guess I will wrap this up for now…..I will do my best in between lessons and classes, to give another update soon.  I plan on making a post that gives you more of my insight as to how our experience as a whole has been using K12 this school year, and what the plans are for the girls’ future education.   

As always, thank you for taking the time to read my blog ….and stay tuned for more posts to come!!!