Time

Do you ever feel like there's not enough time to do the things you wish you could do? We have been studying the 50 states in school this year, and it seems like we're hardly able to touch the surface on each state due to time constraints! Lionel is using the "Trail Guide to US Geography", and Sweet-Pea is using "Cantering the Country"...both purchased by Geography Matters. What I love about their curriculum, is that we can combine their work each day even though they're in 2 completely different grades! Lionel is doing more detailed and research type of work while Sweet-Pea is doing the basics...mapping, learning about the state flower, bird etc.

We do seat work for only 4 days of the week, so we do 2 states per week - 2 days each. There is so much information about each state, but we feel like we're hardly able to grasp it all due to the time we have to work on them. I'd say our geography lessons last over an hour each time which is great, but it's still never enough. On the 'off' days of school we use the book "Eat Your Way Through the USA". We get to make all sorts of wonderful dishes representing the state we're currently studying. I highly recommend this book - it's a lot of fun!!

Well, I hope we're not the only ones who feel like we don't ever have enough time in the day to learn what we want to learn. (Notice I said "want" to learn, not "need" to learn.) Most likely they are far ahead of most public school kids their age, so I guess I shouldn't worry, but I still wonder if they're getting 'enough'. Reassurance is key, and that is why after this year we're going to have Lionel tested to see where how compares to other kids his age. Lord willing I am doing a good job and they are getting the education and training they need. I do try to keep things in perspective though. I am not just here to educate them in book knowledge...what truly matters to us as parents is our children's character. Anyone can be book smart, but not everyone can be wise and live their life in a Godly way.