Encouraged by the sun and good company

Ahh, the warmth of sun! Spring has finally graced us with its presence and I am renewed because of it. We've been out, out, out of this house as much as possible in the wagon, on swings, and on legs soft and flabby due to months of winter idleness. I slept hard last night, as did my children.

We did, indeed, show up at the homeschool co-op on Wednesday and were greeted very kindly by a small group of mothers varying quite a bit in age and personality. A couple had been homeschooling for years and others had not even begun yet, officially, as their own kids were only five-years-old and under. They assured me that Northwest Indiana has a ton of resources for homeschoolers and that, in fact, it is easy to over extend oneself while trying to take advantage of them all. This particular "resource" meets at the library three Wednesdays a month. The participating mothers sign up for specific projects having to do with whatever book they are reading through as a group that year, the current one being on Ancient Rome. They bring their own craft supplies and take turns directing the children. My Benji built a road using sand, clay, and small rocks. The older kids were doing something more intricate but I didn't get a chance to look closely at their project. I was encouraged to see at least four boys around Elijah's age (9).

I will definitely go back with my younger two for now. They seemed to really enjoy it - even Mary who gets nervous in new situations. I liked the fact that the women I met were genuine and honest about the highs and lows of their homeschooling experience. I liked that their reasons for homeschooling weren't cliche or predictable (i.e. the world is evil, lets hide from it). Some, like me, wanted more of an influence in their families' lives to promote faith, love and art as lived out by Christ. Others had children with special learning or emotional needs. Still others were concerned that their kids had started "dumbing themselves down" in the public school setting. It was refreshing to talk openly about my plans. All in all, I am encouraged and still determined to press on.