Settling In

We moved over to Magnussons' about a week ago. That makes it sound so simple and painless, doesn't it? Really, we are still in the process of moving, with unopened boxes piled high around us, and not much furniture to speak of. We got a queen mattress and boxspring for Jason and I to sleep on on Wednesday, so that's a huge plus. It was only $50 and smells like stale cigarette smoke. But it was only $50! Other than that, it is comfortable, and in much better shape than our previous mattress.

The "most unpacked room" award goes to the classroom/craftroom, including the elusive Planning Binder, which I finally found last Thursday after a nearly month-long hunt. That means--you guessed it--we get to start school this week! Yippee!

I spent Friday night and Saturday at the yearly home schooling conference in Sexsmith (near Grande Prairie) and got lots of new ideas about how to educate the children in ways that hold both of our attentions. I also got some questions answered in regards to what school board to register with this upcoming year, and some curriculum choices. Very worthwhile.

In Alberta, home schoolers get funding, but they have to be registered with a willing non-resident school board who will handle all the legal things required to home school. The school board you register with, and how much you want to align your program with Alberta Education's, decide how much funding you get.

Jason would like to put the kids back into the public system in a few years, so I have already been teaching in such a way that "3 R's"-type work will be aligned with Alberta's curriculum requirements. Because of this, I have decided that a Blended program will work for me this year, and in that case, we get more funding than if we registered with a school board who only handles Traditional (completely parent-directed) home schoolers. There are a couple of wonderful Traditional boards, and I feel drawn to them more as far as philosophy is concerned, but considering how expensive curriculum is, Jason and I decided to go with The Centre For Learning At Home out of Okotoks, AB (who can handle all three types of home schooling programs: Traditional, Blended, and Aligned). I am looking forward to having the support provided by a facilitator who comes around a couple of times a year to see how you are doing.

Well, that's all the yabbering I have time for right now. BUT! Jason just got the wireless internet set up here (I am typing this on my laptop!), so I now have the ability to go on the internet and browse, even, instead of always using a shared computer and hurrying to get off as soon as possible. Look for more regular updates in the near future. (With pictures, even!)

Hugs, friends!