Hi! I am Kelly Ott. Our family moved to Carrollton in 2002 from having lived in a town outside of Orlando, Fl our entire lives. I have two children, Natalie (15) and Zeb (13). We are very active with Wisdom's Way's middle school group, WizzKidz.

 

I have to completely say this homeschooling journey was ALL the Lord's idea. Never in my life would I have ever considered homeschooling - but having worked as a probation officer for the State of Florida for 7 years and seeing what was coming out of the school system there, we knew the kids could not go to public school, yet we could not afford private school. So here we are eleven years later -- continuing this journey He has us on.

 

I can still to this day remember thinking throughout the many years of school - why did they have to present school in such a manner??? Gosh, it was dreadfully boring! And when we started this venture I knew that if a child learns in a fun way, more than likely they'll retain more. So I have tried to keep as much as I can of "school" hands on and fun. When our kids were little we'd be the ones at the library every other day getting our stacks and stacks of books. I would read to them constantly...using silly voices, which they still tease me about to this day. We did countless arts & crafts to reflect what we had studied. And that work has paid off - they are read-a-holics and are creative. School does not have to be boring. And using their imaginations to make their lessons more memorable has it's advantages - skip counting while learning multiplication tables -- there are cassettes on the market that have skip counting put to music for better retention - well, we couldn't afford those tapes. Ok, so maybe I was just too cheap to buy them - but I had the kids put the skip counting to songs themselves. They chose the tunes and we'd sing them - every day for months. It worked & was a blast! Teach a child their colors -- for each M&M they can correctly name the color, they can eat it....But I also know - kids do have to do boring stuff, but when you can offset it with something fun - that makes it more enjoyable for all!

 

One thing I have run across with homeschooling moms with younger kids is they have a tendency to think school is four hours of bookwork. If there is one thing I'd like to pass on to as many moms as I can possibly reach -- it's this: Please understand that school is NOT just bookwork. And homeschooling is a 24/7 endeavor. Think outside the box and you can find subjects everywhere!!! Take a trip to the mall for example: (this is a mini-list) they learn economics (paying for items), math (money counting, comparative shopping), social studies (different social groups, etc.), communication and socialization (speaking with clerks & employees), PE (walking around the mall or if they ride that jumpy thing), art (for the younger ones - work on their colors)---oh moms the list is endless for one who is willing to be creative! And please - oh please - do not forget to count Sundays at church on your attendance sheet! So many families do not do this.

 

Do not make homeschooling a chore. We have the freedom to allocate twelve months to complete our required 180 days. If your family is experiencing a bad day where no one wants to work and the nerves feel frayed - stop everything and go play!!!! We have taken many a park day --- and we still do! Especially when the winter is ending and the days are nice!!!! Enjoy each other. Yes, homeschooling is a responsibility, and it certainly isn't for everyone. but with much prayer and patience, you can learn so much together!

 

Let the Lord direct your path. And enjoy the greatest blessing he has bestowed upon you - your family.