Roots & Wings Academy

Yes, we homeschool.  I hesitated for a moment before adding this page; because I know this can be a sensitive topic.  We are NOT one of those homeschooling families that thinks EVERYONE should homeschool.  If you do not homeschool, I apologize on behalf of the homeschool community for any judgment and criticism that you may have received.  That is not our heart and we don't like being lumped into the mix!  For a long time I fought the urge to identify with the homeschool crowd collectively; but you know what, there are some absolutely wonderful people who homeschool, and absolutely wonderful people who do not.

We believe that each family should seek the Lord as to what His desire is for their family, in regards to schooling and life as a whole for that matter.  I also ask that those of you who don't homeschool give us some grace.  I often feel like I have to defend our decision and often feel judged and criticized.  So let's all commit to praying for one another and supporting each other in God's leading.

We named our homeschool, Roots & Wings Academy (RWA for short).  It is our desire to give our kids deep roots so that when they leave the nest they will have strong wings to soar into all that God has for them and into who He has made them to be.  Cue cheesy music, but this really is our heart.  There is a great Clay Crosse that clearly defines what we are striving for:

"...with a solid foundation
He's gonna stand his ground

Take a little time
Plant the seeds
Give him reason to believe

Give him roots, and give him wings
And he'll grow up to do great things
Let him know the joy that he brings
Teach him the value of the truth
Oh you gotta give him roots, give him wings."

Isaiah 40:28-31 and the song Find Your Wings by Mark Harris (video at the end of post) also supports this "roots and wings" idea.

We are blessed to be a part of two homeschool co-ops; I don't know where I would be without these lovely ladies and their support.  Homeschooling can be overwhelming.  One aspect of this is with choosing curriculum.  I am listing below what we are doing this year and I highly recommend the book "Top 100 Picks for Homeschool Curriculum" by Cathy Duffy.   This book helped me a lot: to identify my teaching style, to evaluate my kids' learning preferences, and to weed through a lot of curriculum that would not have worked for us.  We are often tweaking and learning new things but here is what we landed on for this year (we have in no means perfected our curriculum, but I really like to hear what people use and hope you find this helpful).

Bible:  Chronological Bible (NIV),  Phoenixx Phaxx (mission program through Sonlight; free),  Christian Heroes: Then and Now Hudson Taylor unit study (hope to start Precepts' Discover 4 Yourself series this fall).

Math:  Saxon 1 and 3, ixl.com (math)

Social Studies:  Story of the World Book 1, Activity Book 1, Life in the Great Ice Age

Science: ABeka Discovering God's World, Book 1 and 3 (hope to switch to Apologia this fall).

English:  Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, Hooked on Phonics, Blogging, Open-Ended Questions (Frank Schaffer Publications) Level 2, Reasoning & Writing Workbook Level C (SRA McGraw-Hill), Comprehension & Critical Thinking Level 2 (Teacher Created Materials). I had heard great things about All About Spelling (which I plan to do this fall).

Read Alouds:  Huckleberry Finn, Tom Sawyer, Oliver Twist (we bought these for $1 from Target's dollar bin).

Electives: (these are taken through our co-ops) Art, Gym, Horsemanship, Production/Musical Theatre, Music Appreciation, Geography)

Online: (these are taken through one of our co-ops) Rosetta Stone Spanish, Brain Pop Jr., Looney Tunes Phonics, Click 'n Spell, Typing Master.

Find Your Wings video