Not Too Shabby!

Nathan recently asked me, "So, how do you think the homeschool thing is working?"

I'm pretty sure he already knew my answer.

I've said it before, and I will say it again: our decision to homeschool our children was one of the most difficult choices we have ever made.  And it was also, by far, one of the best!  It is really fun, so rewarding, and so effective for our children.  They really thrive in this environment, so homeschool is a great fit for us.  I can't even begin to describe the intangible benefits, although one day I just might try.  {Stay tuned!}

A picture of Avery taking notes during a Religious Studies class...with his teeny tiny pencil!  He just couldn't part with his favorite pencil even after it had been sharpened to the point of stubby.  Ha!

My cute Kimber Academy "I Love America" class.  We were doing a skit about the Cycle of Tyranny.  Love these kids!

Yes, it is a lot of work for us.  No, our homeschool is not perfect.  Yes, I wonder every day whether I am getting it right.  No, I never feel like I am doing enough.

But despite all of that, the "fruits" really speak for themselves.  I mean...these kids!

In a lesson about Benjamin Franklin, we discussed inventions.  Courtney then used these Lego's to model her idea for an invention--an electronic book that teaches toddlers to read!

Here is our lovely Coco, showing us the results of her flower-dissecting project.  She taped the parts of the flower to the paper and labeled them all.  You con't need a classroom to have fun like this!

Other kids get "snow days" when the weather is bad.  Not so for homeschoolers!  They had to do all of their schoolwork AND shovel the driveway!

Of course we include our little preschooler in our homeschool activities!  He's already a big fan of "Library Day."  Lately his book choices are usually about Thomas the Tank Engine.  Deja vu!

A few years ago, we were blessed to gain access to a program called the Western Academic Talent Search, through the Center for Bright Kids, which identifies academically advanced students and allows them to take high-level tests as a means for college prep and scholarship opportunities.  This is a really big deal to us, because we are not associated with a school where those things are more easily accessible.  When the day comes for us to apply to colleges, we need to have as much empirical evidence of "achievement" to show for our work as possible, since we won't have the basic things that most kids can provide (such as transcripts and diplomas!).

Working hard on taking notes during a lesson on Middle Eastern history.

Therefore, the older boys have been participating in this academic testing for the last few years.  They have done very well, even though the testing is really advanced and really difficult for their grade levels.

And this year, their scores were completely amazing!  How do I think the homeschool thing is going?  You tell me:

Chase took the ACT test this year, and as a 13-year-old 8th grader, scored a 25.  Hello!  That falls in the 80th percentile for graduating, college-bound high school seniors who are taking the test this year!  That means that he scored higher than 80% of those students, 4 years older than him, taking the test.  He still has a few years before that ACT score really has to "count" for college applications and stuff, so I'd say he will be in pretty great shape by then!

It was a comedy of errors getting Chase to the ACT test this year.  He slept through his alarm; my GPS sent us to a storage center instead of the testing center (ack!); once we arrived (breathless and barely on time), they told us we had the wrong paperwork for admittance...turns out they were wrong about that, thank goodness!  Yikes!  I was completely rattled, but Chase was calm and went in to rock the test.  Based on the results, I'd say that dang test was harder for me than for him!  Ha!

Avery took the ACT Explore test, which is a lower-level ACT test usually administered to 8th graders for placement purposes as they enter high school.  He scored a 23 (of a possible 25), which is in the 99th percentile for 8th graders (Avery is a 6th grader by age).  Hello!  He got 100% of the answers correct in each of the English, Math, and Science sections of his test!  He only missed a couple in the Reading section, which is funny because Avery loves reading almost more than anything else.  Ha!

Here is handsome Avery just after he finished the Explore test.  He was worried about a math problem or two, so we worked the calculations in the car on the way home.  As we did so, he realized that he got them right.  He said, "Well, I guess I'm feeling pretty good about that test after all!"  Yeah, I'd say so!

I'm really pleased with how well they have done, but especially with how hard they work to learn and study and get all of their school work done.  They are really self-motivated and responsible kids, which might seem counter-intuitive when they don't have to leave home to do it.  And believe me, I don't teach to the test...I have no idea what is on these tests!  Ha!  They earn every bit of it!

Not too shabby for a couple of homeschool kids, huh?