Homeschooling (part 1)

After about a year and a half of lots of thinking and many observations and lots of prayers to know if this was the right thing to do, Nate and I decided to home school Elise last year. 

This year it was easier to decide to keep homeschooling her because of circumstances about her neighborhood school and not being accepted to another elementary school because their numbers were at a maximum.  But truthfully, she has thrived with it; and though I hope she can get back into public school in the near future, I've decided that making the decision new every year is probably a good idea. 

So, here are some pictures from a trip to Branson that she and I took while Nate was at work and Max was at school.  (some of the perks of homeschooling)

 And from some of the field trips with just me and through our home/public school group.

She and I took a trip to pick grapes and blackberries; I just needed help and she got to come. She was a super worker and we made blackberry syrup and grape juice after.  All things she that would be helpful for her to learn, right?

The first field trip we went on was to the C. W. Parker Carousel Museum (here's the link).  It was super fun and interesting!  The carousel Elise is on is from 1913!  The kids learned the type of music that was played during these rides, how the carousel is kept in working order and really just how much fun carousels are (they got to ride it for an hour - "round and round and round she goes...").  This was the beginning-of-the-year kick-off so it was more fun than educational. 

These last three pictures were from a visit to the Deanna Rose Farmstead.  It is a working farm but has the feel of the late 1800s.  Elise and her two wavy-haired friends (they were excited that their hair looked the same that day) enjoyed visiting a Native American encampment where a Crow Indian woman told them of life of a child of a Crow Indian; they were taught by a School Marm in the school you see above; fed goats, milked cows, and lots of other similar things.