Lego Smart Creativity Contest Results!

I'm happy and thankful to announce that we won the Lego competition in the homeschool category! Well I say we...but it was truly the hubby and kids this time. I was the proud wifey/mama! It was really a wonderful experience. We were able to attend the Lego Education STEM Summit. Going in I was expecting maybe some negativity as far as homeschooling as all the other participants were either teachers from private schools or public schools. I couldn't have been more wrong! We so enjoyed meeting all of the other teachers that won the contest in their categories.

After a rather long drive ;) there, we arrived late afternoon and then went out to eat at a VERY nice restaurant with a representative from Lego, Debra Smith (who I cannot say enough good stuff about...she was wonderful!) and all of the other teachers that won in their category. I'm proud to say my kids were so well behaved (phew...but how could I expect any less? ;) and our family really enjoyed talking with the other teachers. The grand prize winner Dottie was a sweetheart!

The kids even met an astronaut!! Here they are with  Leland D. Melvin. His personal story is quite amazing I must add. He is in charge of the NASA education project. (they are linked up with Lego) Z has always been interested in outerspace and space travel so I feel so blessed that we had this opportunity.

Oh and I cannot forget that we were able to meet Stephan Turnipseed, president of LEGO Education North America. In fact I was sitting next to him at lunch! I really got a lot out of the Summit presentations and was once again really surprised how pro homeschool the presentations were.  It was very interesting hearing how Lego is used as a tool to teach science and technology and get kids in schools involved in wanting to learn.

I'm so thankful to God for giving us this opportunity! We will be giving part of our winnings to our 4H Lego/Robotics club.

Reasons for homeschooling

There are many different variables on how and why someone chooses to home school. Some families choose based on their religious beliefs and choose Christian curriculum and others choose a more secular homeschooling route. These are just a couple possible reasons. Depending on each state's requirements parents are able to make the choices that are best suited to their family. Our reasons for homeschooling were that the public school was not meeting the educational needs of our child with special needs. They quite honestly did not know what to do with him and were not open to us trying to work with them to make it work. The attempts they made in the the first of his kindergarten year were very hard on all of us mentally.

Fortunately homeschooling was a good fit for us. I will be the first to admit some days here can be difficult. We are able to get through those days with love, patience (most days;) On the days that our patience has met it's limit we are able to forgive for the occasional harsh word. (grumpiness...me! ;) Fortunately the good days far outweigh the challenging ones! Although not all of our curriculum is Christian based (but it doesn't contradict our beliefs) we depend on our faith in God to help us all, even hubby and I, to try and achieve our  individual bests.

It's all about perspective

Today I decided to do some math review over things I thought (thought is the key word here) they knew. Z~girl did pretty good. A~man...it was as if he had never done it before. For A~man it was telling time up to each 15 minutes. NOPE. Also a worksheet with several coins to find the total and I also had real coins out as I know when he was tested last year he wasn't able to do it with unrealistic coin pictures. NOPE. He could still identify the coins and their value but not with several coins adding them together. He was frustrated and I was deflated like a balloon. See he wasn't being non compliant although he was a little spacey...I honestly think he forgot...along with a wee little Z~sister voice reminding me "do not fuss at him I think he is really trying!" (my voice of reason this morning) So I decided it was time for a break.

We stepped out into the sunshine, the warmth, the breeze and I know I exclaimed ahhhhhhhhh! PERFECT day. I walked the dog around the yard and remembered a different time when we first moved to this house gosh I think it has been 5 years. Back then Z was almost 4 and A was 6.5. In the last 5 years he has changed so much! I remember step MIL helping to watch the kids while we unloaded things. I remember coming outside and seeing A running from our yard to the house behind us that is quite a ways a way. MIL couldn't catch him so I caught him. This happened many times. I remember coming into his room one afternoon when he was taking a nap...or so I thought...to see him climbing out the window. This has been more recent but I remember the walls in his bedroom before we had them redone this past year. You see he had created 2 holes..(fist sized)...one beside his bed and one behind his door and picked and picked the wallpaper, the sheet rock paper all the way through the wall. Up untill a few years ago he was still "fingerpainting" (you do not want to know WHAT) all over his walls. He used to fling all kinds of things (again...not going into details) down the air/heating duct in his room causing the whole house to smell like....well you do not want to know. He used to constantly hug strangers...we have narrowed that down to friends although he needs to ask before grabbing people..what can I say he LOVES people. He no longer does these things! I need to internally celebrate that! He IS advancing, maturing, sure he has some new "issues" but thank goodness these old ones are past us! I have no doubt he will be able to learn basic math...how to use money...tell time I KNOW he has the ability...but it is on his schedule not mine. (Joy repeat this 100 times "his schedule") I truly believe he will keep advancing on his reading...s l o w l y...but he will be able to read functionally as an adult. I WILL insure this. ;) I also need to celebrate his knowing and understanding about God...He is growing up to be a Godly, caring, sympathetic man. I love him so much!

Here is a picture. Most I put on my blog I have taken but this one was taken by a good friend this winter.