We're enrolling with Kolbe! :)

I've recently been having "discussions" via email with Teacher Mommy Blessie, who is more known for her Nanay Notebook blog. She has helped me with so many things and answered so many questions... thank you for your time, Mommy Blessie! :)

Anyway, I know I already posted about what our curriculum for this year looks like, so you may be wondering what "enrolling with Kolbe" means. Well, after much prayer (yes, we've been praying about Kolbe since last year) and taking into consideration the DepEd K-12 curriculum that's now in place, and everything else, we've decided to enroll Tim for Kindergarten in Kolbe for the following reasons:

• According to many Catholic parents I know who are using or have used Kolbe, it is one of, if not THE best Catholic Classical home school curricula available. We won't be buying any books from Kolbe for now, though. I hope to borrow some and also still use the books we already have. It's a good thing they are very flexible that way.
• I like that they emphasize the important role of the parents in educating their kids (as do other homeschool providers do, too, of course) BUT reading their section on the "Principle of Subsidiarity" also helped us decide on it.
• Kolbe has been using a K-12 curriculum from the very beginning. I want to be "safe" in terms of evaluation and record-keeping since Kinder is required by DepEd in the Philippines now. Also, I'm sure family members and friends who still have doubts about our homeschooling won't be so "fearful" or "judgmental" anymore when they hear that Tim is officially enrolled in a US-based homeschool. ;)

"Isn't it expensive though?" some people may ask.

Well, according to Mommy Blessie:

"If you're enrolling Tim for Kindergarten, you'll spend about $150 since it's his first time to enroll and he's your first kid. Then there's the Overseas Family fee of $35-40. And a $5 charge for credit card payment. So expect to shell out around P8,300 if you are paying in full. 

If you opt for the five-installment plan, you'll only pay 

• $30 (tuition)+$40 (overseas family)+$5 (credit card service charge)=$75 (P3,200) upon registration, for your first installment;
• then $35 dollars (P1,500) on the month you start schooling, for 2nd installment;
• and three more $35 on the three months after that, for your third to fifth installment."

Hubby and I have some upcoming projects that I am confident will be able to cover this amount. We trust in God's grace! :) Besides, P8,300 isn't so bad compared to shelling out P60,000 for a progressive preschool education, right?! (Take note though, please, that saving money is NOT the main reason why we homeschool — and it shouldn't be for other parents, too!)

Anyway, this statement by Mommy Blessie also made me think that Kolbe is the best way for us right now:

For working moms like us, I would recommend Kolbe over (another homeschool provider) because, from my experience, Kolbe's customer service is much more prompt and accessible, and the quarterly exams they provide means you don't have to send so much documentation on your child's work. The quarterly exams are enough to validate your child's grade -- an invaluable convenience, in my opinion. 

So, Kolbe it is, then! :) We're still going to retain our homeschool name, though: The Kingdom-Seekers Academy. Teehee! To God be the glory! :)

P.S. Pray for us, please?! Thanks! Blessings on us all! Mama Mary, pray for us!

Teacher Mama Jen on Using Five In A Row (FIAR) — With a Free Printable! :)

We've recently started using Five In A Row (FIAR) in our homeschool, mostly due to the influence of fellow ROCKERs mom Mariel. I LOVE using it, especially since it doesn't take much preparation time (perfect for a "lazy" homeschool mom like me, LOL!). :)

I actually read about FIAR on other homeschool moms' blogs, one of the more memorable ones was Forever, For Always, No Matter What. The mom behind it, Jen, left a comment on my other blog last year, when I posted about adoption.

Image from Jen's FB page

I was SUPER inspired by Jen and her family and their adoption story! :) So much that I even asked Jen to write a guest post for me on Truly Rich Mom (check it out here!). I also got more inspired to try out FIAR. :)

Anyway, Jen recently wrote a great post about using FIAR and even shared a free printable planning page over at HomegrownLearners.com. :) I highly recommend it to everyone out there, especially those who are looking for curriculum or just an excuse to buy superb-quality books for your kids! :) Click here to read her post. :) Have fun! :D

P.S. For Philippine-based readers who wish to try FIAR, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND you check out Mariel's blog and FB page. :)

If you're anything like me, you will find yourself falling in love with children's books (all over again for me!) and wanting to collect the very best titles for your children! :) Hehehe! :) Oh, and in case you want to see The Learning Basket ladies in person and hoard view their books, they'll be at the Medela House this Saturday for the ROCKERs June meet-up! :) Come join us, if you like! :) Just make sure you register online first here or leave a post on my Facebook page! :) Hope to see you!

Welcome back to school, Kingdom-Seekers! :) {Our "curriculum" for SY 2012-2013}

We started having a regular homeschool routine again last Monday, June 4. Yes, folks, it's back to school time here at the Kingdom-seekers Academy! :)

Actually, ever since God "overturned" our initial decision to enroll Tim in a non-traditional progressive preschool and literally put His call for us to continue homeschooling "in our face," I have been thinking and praying about what curriculum to use and whether we should go with a DepEd-accredited homeschool provider.

Well, we've decided to continue being independent for this year and after a super-loooooong "break" from our previous homeschool routine (which I pathetically tried to document on a daily basis here, haha!), we're finally at it again! :)

Source.

Though we've been "off" the "schooling" part of homeschooling since December (gasp!), when I decided to just focus on reading lots of good books about Advent and Christmas, I don't think learning has stopped for the kids, as I'd like to believe we try to be as vigilant and aware as possible about making everyday experiences learning experiences for the children. :) (OK, so maybe I am being a bit defensive here, haha!)

Our Advent/Christmas books

In fact, I was affirmed recently that the kids, particularly Tim, are learning well — even without much input from me and their Papa. When we had Tim assessed at different progressive preschools in March during our long discernment period, all of the teachers who assessed him said that his skills are just right for his age, and one teacher even said that he has above average IQ and comprehension skills! :) Praise the LORD! :)

Organization and consistency at the Kingdom-seekers Academy

If you've been following our homeschool daily lessons blog (Kingdom Seekers Academy), you'll see that I/we have been pretty inconsistent in recording our daily activities (my bad! huhuhu!) So in an attempt to be consistent starting this October, I've tried taking photos to record our activities.

First Day at the Kingdom-Seekers Academy

Today is our first "official" day of homeschooling. Although I believe that all parents have been homeschooling since birth (or even BEFORE birth, when the baby is still in the womb), today is the day we actually start to (try to! hehe) follow a curriculum. We will also formally "baptize" our homeschool with a name:

"The Kingdom-Seekers Academy"
based on Matthew 6:33 (which is our family's life verse now, and the verse on which I based my other mommy blog)


(Incidentally, it's Blessed Mother Teresa's Feast Day today! How cool is that?! We named our daughter, Alyssa Therese, with St. Therese of Lisieux and Mother Teresa in mind! No coincidences when it comes to God' plan!!!)

We will be using the daily lesson plans of Catholic Heritage Curricula for preschool and kindergarten, which were given to us by a fellow homeschooling mom in the US (thank You God for the kindness of others!).

Some of the lessons seem too "simple" for Tim, as he has been doing workbooks and worksheets for letter-writing and number-writing for some time now (mostly using books from Easy to Learn, which can be bought at most local major bookstores). However, I still like the way the lessons incorporate different aspects of the Catholic faith, and there's nothing wrong with going back to basics.

Whenever possible, we will supplement with lessons from Mater Amabilis, which is a free Charlote-Mason style curriculum for Catholics (don't you just LOVE the Internet?!).

We also decided to invest in the Catholic ABC's Preschool Curriculum by Lacy of Catholic Icing. The kids love to do arts and crafts and this is an excellent resource. I hope our book arrives soon! ;-)

We also might be getting the following, which come highly recommended by other  homeschoolers (hopefully we'll get them secondhand or discounted, unless there are kind strangers and not-so-strangers out there willing to give them to us, thank you very much in advance! ;-) hehe!)

Reading - Sing, Spell, Read, Write  (I found out this is available locally through C & E Bookshop.) 


Math - Math-U-See (The local suppliers, Noel and Tasha Tison, can be contacted through 
mathuseephil@yahoo.com).


Music and Movement - Making Music Praying Twice (This costs US$98!!! Waaah! Plus US$45 for shipping to the Philippines! Huhuhu! I.want.this.oh.so.badly.though! hehe. Maybe there are used sets on sale on ebay! I'll look for them!)


Well, that's it for now. Got to prepare before the kids wake up (oh yes, I still need to get more organized in terms of preparation! haha!). Also, we're going to mass today to "kick off" the schoolyear, as suggested in CHC's newsletter for parents starting the schoolyear. Pray for us as we pray for you ok?! ;-)

GOD BLESS EVERYONE!

P.S. Last First Friday, I was privileged and blessed to lead a meeting of like-minded Catholic parents who homeschool or are considering homeschool. We've decided to call our group ROCKERs, which stands for Roman Catholics Keeping Education Real. ;-) Feel free to check out our site here and see what we did in our first meeting. (If you want to be part of the group, please e-mail me at teachermamatina@gmail.com. Thanks!)

Educating for Eternity

"Of course, our most important goal is to educate our children for eternity. How? By living and being what we want our children to be. We must be truthful, brave, forgiving, thoughtful, faithful, virtuous, self-disciplined, kind and cheerful if we want our children to be! Our Faith is caught, not taught... we can't give what we don't have. Overwhelming? Not when we remember that a baby learns to walk by falling! God measures our effort and appreciates every little thing we do for love of Him. He invites us to keep "walking" and grow more in love with Him each day."

- Introductory page, Educating for Eternity: Kindergarten, Catholic Heritage Curricula

This made me cry. I have been unkind, unforgiving, thoughtless, and angry a lot lately, especially to Tim. Lord, thank You for the reminder. We are educating for eternity. And no matter how many times I may fall, You will always be there to help me "walk." Please be with us as we begin our homeschool journey for real very, very soon.  Amen.

Painting shows a baby walking to his father. by Vincent Van Gogh

Catholic ABC's Preschool Curriculum!

One of my all-time favorite Catholic mom bloggers, Lacy, of Catholic Icing, may have outdone herself this time! :-) I am so so pleased to re-post her announcement about her latest project, Catholic ABC's preschool curriculum in book form! :-) Way to go Lacy! I am sure a lot of Catholic moms everywhere, including us here in the Philippines, will be greatly blessed by this! (I hope you consider coming up with a downloadable version soon, hehe!) Congrats to you and to God be all the glory! :-)

Below is Lacy's post, which you can read in full version here (there's a giveaway ongoing too, so head on over to her blog to check it out!). Blessings on everyone!

Catholic ABC's (The Book)- A Catholic Preschool Curriculum

on Tuesday, August 02, 2011

Anyone wondering where I've been? Well, I'm putting the finishing touches on my new book! Catholic Icing Presents: Catholic ABC's (The Book) - A Hands On Preschool Curriculum! {Also, there's a giveaway at the end of this post you don't want to miss!}

I love that the Catholic ABC's series matured into an all inclusive, user friendly book! 

I don't have any of them actually printed yet, but I'm sending off for them later this week!!! (Insert happy dance here!) I have poured my heart and soul into this book, and I could not be more pleased with how it has turned out! 

I couldn't decide whether to write the curriculum for homeschoolers or classrooms, so I wrote it for both. Can't go wrong with that decision, huh? ;-) So Catholic ABC's the Bookincludes separate teacher scripts for both homeschoolers and classroom teachers. You could use this book to teach your child, a group of children in your home, a class at a Catholic preschool co-op, or a whole preschool CCD class- your options for teaching are limitless, and this book makes everyone a teacher!

I am so happy to have this in a book form because it includes so much more than I've been able to post online! New crafts, 5 brand new unit studies, guides for setting up your classroom and organizing your materials, bible verses that go with each lesson, visual aides of full color artwork from the religious masters, and more! Also, the entire book is going to be printed in color which I'm really excited about!  

This Catholic preschool curriculum is hands on all the way! From the unit studies, to learning the alphabet, to crafting, singing, and counting- this book strives to make learning (and teaching) fun! Hey, why shouldn't it be fun?

I designed the book to engage visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners. The activities in this book help develop gross and fine motor skills. I believe that children learn best when they have multiple senses engaged, and when they have meaningful experiences that they can connect with. This book definitely helps you create these kind of experiences with your preschoolers. 

Catholic ABC's has 26 lessons that are based on the letters of the alphabet. They're meant to be used weekly. Each lesson includes a craft, bible verse, saint of the week, full color visual aid (usually in the form of beautiful artwork from the masters), and many lessons also include a bonus activity. The 5 unit studies follow the liturgical year and have directions for making unique learning tools to teach the story, and again, make it fun! The unit studies also teach the kids counting and numbers, and they all include a fun learning song. 

               Unit Studies:

1. Ordinary Time 1 - Creation
2. Advent/Christmas - Nativity
3. Ordinary Time 2 - 12 Apostles
4. Lent - Stations of the Cross
5. Easter - He is Risen!

All the templates, coloring pages, etc that are needed for Catholic ABC's are included in the "Master Copies" section of the book. They're bound in so they won't get lost.

As always, I take all of the guess work out of the crafting for you. Catholic Icing can make a crafter out of anyone! ;-) All of the crafts in the book are fairly easy to complete, and require only affordable and readily available craft supplies.

Ok, in case you can't tell by the excessive use of exclamation points in this post, I'm very excited about my book! I can't wait to hold the printed copies when they arrive! I just might have to invite all my friends over for a fun celebration. :-)

How Much Does it Cost?

Catholic ABC's The Book is going to cost $35 plus shipping, but if you'd like to place a pre-order, you'll receive a $5 discount! So that's just $30 plus shipping.  :-) (Shipping is $5.25 US and $15.00 international) I'm taking pre-orders between now and August 15. After August 15 the book will cost $35.00.

 

*The original deal offered on pre-orders was free shipping. Everyone who ordered within that time will receive the free shipping. Everyone ordering from now on will receive the $5 discount instead. Sorry for the confusion.*

Catholic Heritage Curricula: Homeschooling is a Gift!

Catholic Heritage Curricula Daily Lesson Plans - FINALLY HERE! Thank You Lord!

I am so overwhelmed by God's amazing grace and provision!

Earlier today, Tim and I were able to get a long-awaited package from the US - it contained the Daily Lesson Plans from Catholic Heritage Curricula and Dr. Seuss and Starfall books - all sent with love, as a gift, from a fellow Catholic Filipina mom whom I had never met in person, but only got to know through, what else, Facebook! I don't remember clearly how we came to be FB friends, but I thank God that we did! Honey (and her family, of course) have been a great blessing to us, and has provided a lot of homeschooling tips for me.

With the package.. so excited!

We LOVE books!

I haven't gotten a chance to read through all of the lesson plans from CHC, but I am so encouraged by its "Welcome" page of sorts, which starts with this at the very top of the page:

+

J.M.J.

I was so delighted to see it, because a fellow HS mom, who is using Kolbe, used "JMJ" with me before in one  of our e-mail correspondences about homeschooling. She said the people behind Kolbe use it all the time, and it stands for Jesus.Mary.Joseph. 

I'm so psyched that CHC uses it too! J.M.J! 

I also like the part in the "Welcome" letter that says:

 "Education is much, much more than the subjects you study in a formal way. It is the sum total of your family life. Everything you do as a family affects the children."

(Reverend John Hardon)

Whew! Time to really pray even harder about how God wants us to mold our kids, esp. through homeschooling. In case you were wondering, yes, we will be using CHC, along with Mater Amabilis, and other free resources  from the Net. Still trying to get organized though, esp. in terms of books. :-) I hope to get some materials from Math-U-See somehow. Plus some books about the Philippines.

I am trying not to be pressured though. I believe in the adage "better late than early," and I don't think starting homeschooling just before Tim turns 5 (we plan to start in September, and his birthday is in October) counts as "late," at least not by most homeschoolers' standards.

But after today, I can really, truly say again with all my heart - "God truly provides! He is good all the time!"

Freebie Friday: TONS of Printable Worksheets from TLSBooks.com

TLSBooks.com is one of THE best places to go for FREE printable worksheets from preschool to sixth grade! They even have mixed grade worksheets. There are literally THOUSANDS of worksheets you can use, all for FREE!

Here's a brief description of TLSBooks.com, based on their home page:

Welcome to tlsbooks.com, where you'll find a variety of free printable worksheets for home and school use. Tlsbooks offers numerous worksheets to supplement your early childhood education program, home day care, elementary school classroom or home school. Parents love using our free worksheets to help their child gain valuable readiness skills or to reinforce material they may already be learning in school.

This site features thousands of printable worksheets as well as coloring pages, teacher resources, puzzles, and reading tips. Although our terms of use prohibits the saving of worksheets, you are welcome to return at any time to print material that you may need.

In order to view and print our free educational worksheets, you will need to have Adobe Reader version 6 or later. Click here to update or download the most current version of Adobe Reader.

Please be familiar with our Terms of Use before using any worksheets from this site. You can always be sure you are viewing our most current worksheets by clicking the refresh or reload button on your browser!

We have used some of their preschool worksheets in the past, while we were still on mission in Timor, and I don't know why I have forgotten completely about them since coming home to the Philippines. I'm glad I re-discovered them though. It's really time to buy a good printer for our homeschooling, don'tcha think? :-) Godbless y'all!

Montessori at Home: 8 Principles to Know

by HEATHER on JUNE 29, 2011

in METHODS & PHILOSOPHIES

(A Note from Teachermama Tina: This post originally appears on the Simple Homeschool site. I have been thinking about the different styles and methods used in Homeschooling, and the Montessori approach seems very interesting, though I don't know if I could pull it off! hehe. Enjoy reading!)

Written by contributor Heather Bruggeman of Beauty That Moves
Montessori education is a philosophy and model created by Maria Montessori, the first woman physician in Italy, in the late 1800s. At its core, Montessori education is designed to promote peace and considers the whole child as well as the environment in its approach.

It has been a primary influence in our family’s lifestyle and educational philosophy.

We’ve heard from some readers that you are interested in Montessori philosophy as it might fit into your homeschool. And some of you were looking for a little inspiration or direction to light the way.

If you are like me, you appreciate things broken down into easy to follow steps.

In 2005,  Angeline S. Lillard wrote a book called Montessori: The Science Behind the Genius, in which she discusses whether or not a century old methodology can stand up to modern day scientific research in developmental psychology. Her research led to the understanding that Dr. Montessori’s ideas were, and still are, a very effective holistic approach to educating a child.

It’s an academic way of saying that Maria Montessori knew what she was doing.

In Lillard’s book she covers Eight Principles of Montessori Education.  Today we will look at those and think about how they may fit into your homeschool.

The 8 Principles of Montessori Education

1. Movement & Cognition

Movement and cognition are closely entwined, and movement can enhance thinking and learning.

For most of these principles I’ll list a few points to consider as a homeschool family, but this particular one calls for a brief story.

Sir Ken Robinson did a TED Talk on Schools Killing Creativity. He told the story of Gillian Lynne, a school girl whose parents were told she may have a learning disorder because she was fidgety and couldn’t concentrate. They sent her to a specialist. She restlessly sat on her hands while the doctor and her mother spoke of the problems Gillian had at school.

Eventually, the doctor said he needed to speak to the mother privately, he and Gillian’s mother left the room. As he was leaving, he turned on the radio that sat on his desk, when they left the room he said to her mother, “Just stand here and watch her.”

The minute the doctor and mother left the room, Gillian recalls coming to her feet and moving to the music. The adults watched her for a few minutes from outside the room.

The doctor turned to her mother and said, “Mrs. Lynne, Gillian isn’t sick, she’s a dancer.”

Gillian Lynne went on to study dance and eventually become a world famous choreographer, her work included the productions of Cats and Phantom of the Opera. (Thank goodness for that doctor.)

Humans need movement, each in their own way.

2. Choice

Learning and well-being are improved when people have a sense of control over their lives.

• Make a list of work assignments for the day and have them create their own schedule.
• Keep a basket in the refrigerator of healthy snacks for them to choose from.
• Create a basket of pre-selected (high quality) SSR books for them to choose from.

3. Interest

People learn better when they are interested in what they are learning.

• Fill a basket with oversized, ‘coffee table’ books from the library. These tend to be filled with beautiful, inspiring photography that will spark conversation and interest.
• Create a lapbook or unit study around a favorite hobby, period in history, musician, author or animal of your child’s choosing.
• Love letter writing? Create a letter writing station or box for kids to help themselves. Be sure to include everything needed: stationary, pens, stamps, address book, (laminated) copy of a properly written letter.

4. Extrinsic rewards are avoided

Tying extrinsic rewards to an activity, like money for reading or high grades for tests, negatively impacts motivation to engage in that activity when the reward is withdrawn.

• This challenges normal practice for many of us. I don’t feel inclined to hand out money or treats for every job well done – but there is a pass/fail, win/lose mentality in our culture, and the older a child gets, the more they become aware of that. To be honest, I’m working on this one.

5. Learning from & with peers

Collaborative arrangements can be very conducive to learning.

• Host a knitting group in your home
• Meet at a funky cafe for a weekly study group
• Form a young writers or poetry group
• Seek out a homeschool debate team
• Into film making? Gather with friends to make a short film.

6. Learning in context

Learning situated in meaningful contexts is often deeper and richer than learning in abstract contexts.

• Make homemade yogurt rather than talk about how their favorite yogurt is made.
• Learn about flora and fauna with field guides in hand and an afternoon trek through the woods.
• Take a morning trip to the grocery store with a budget and menu plan.
• Play with science by making homemade lip balm, soap, or natural remedies.
• Keep chickens or bees!

7. Teacher ways & child ways

Particular forms of adult interaction are associated with more optimal child outcomes.

• Have Week In Review meetings with your kids, individually if possible .
• Children can partner with you on designing a garden, rearranging furniture (design), or reviewing curriculum choices for the coming year.
• Collaborate on literature list for next year.
• Have them recommend a few titles of books they love for you to read. (Does not matter the age of the child or if you wind up reading Jack & the Beanstalk – they will appreciate you honoring their judgment.)

8. Order in environment & mind

Order in the environment is beneficial to children.

• Maintain an art shelf with easy to access projects that rotate from week to week.
• Keep your learning environment clear of clutter.
• Adopt “10 Minute Tidy” period at the end of the day.
• Some families find workboxes to be helpful.

These principles can provide a helpful map to those in need, or simply a source of inspiration as we each look ahead to our next school year.

Freebie Friday - Phonics Program for Preschoolers

In my ongoing search for learning materials for Tim (attempting to put some order in our homeschool life, but with the crazy-busy schedule I have been having at work, preparing for CFC's 30th Anniversary Celebrations, I have been "delinquent" in homeschooling! huhuhuhu!), I got this great tip from a fellow homeschool mom about a FREE Phonics program she is currently using to teach her 6 year-old daughter. (Thanks Mommy Michelle!) I hope I will be able to use this soon on Tim too! :-)

Anyway, for everyone's info, here is the site: www.progressivephonics.com.


Feel free to check it out for yourself! All you need to do is download and print all the books! Cool huh? Hurray for homeschooling! And thank GOD for freebies, and for the committed, wonderful people who put up uber-helpful sites like these! Praise GOD for you all!

Free E-Book: 7 Secrets To Finding The Best Homeschool Curriculum

If you know me personally, and have been reading my blogs (this one and my Truly Rich Mom blog), you may already know that our current method of homeschooling is more like unschooling. After all, Tim is just 4 years 5 months old, and Rysse is turning 2 only in July. However, since I am the type who thrives more on structure, and sometimes have this OC-need to be assured that I am on the "right path" when it comes to homeschooling, I have been looking around for curriculum that will suit our kids. (Funny huh? Considering that I already posted a lot of links here for free curriculum and what-not. LOL!)

Anyway, I discovered this freebie over at Successful Homeschooling and thought it might be helpful to others like me who are undecided on what curriculum to use.

Download the book by clicking here.

According to the author, Carletta, a homeschooling mom of 4, this book, 7 Secrets To Finding The Best Homeschool Curriculum, will help you:

• Clarify your needs and goals,
• Identify your child's learning style,
• Understand the many ways to homeschool,
• Choose curriculum for specific subjects,
• Homeschool special needs and gifted students, and
• Choose programs for preschool, kindergarten and high school!

This FREE e-book also contains excerpts of interviews with the following homeschooling experts:

Valerie Bendt of Unit Studies Made Easy,
Lee Binz of The Home Scholar,
unschooler Sandra Dodd,
Corin Barsily Goodwin of Gifted Homeschoolers Forum,
Dennis Gunderson of Grace and Truth Books,
Sarita Holzmann of Sonlight,
Mary Hood of The Relaxed Home School,
Catherine Levison of A Charlotte Mason Education,
Jessica Parnell of Bridgeway Academy,
C.J. Rezak of Little Giant Steps, and
Larry Shiller of ShillerMath!
To avail of this freebie, simply click here. 
Incidentally, Carletta has a lot of other great resources on her site. Check them out at www.successful-homeschooling.com :-)
God bless everyone! :-) And do include us in your prayers, that we will be able to decide on a "proper curriculum" soon! :-)

Bo Sanchez's Catholic Filipino Academy

Photo from CatholicFilipinoAcademy.com

2 weeks ago, I was able to attend the Parents' Orientation of the Catholic Filipino Academy (CFA). Hubby had an ocular inspection to go to for an event, so he couldn't make it. Despite that, it was a doubly blessed day because I got to hitch a ride and exchange homeschooling stories with Teacher Mommy Blessie and her hubby Neil, and also meet other Catholics who had homeschooled, are still homeschooling and are thinking of homeschooling their kids. It was nice to be at the Lighthouse Building, where all the ministries of Bo Sanchez are housed. It sort of felt like being "home" in a way - most of those present were so accommodating and nice.

Here's a brief summary of how things went:

For starters, Ms. Rita Yokingco, Vice-Directress of CFA, talked about the background, whys, hows and benefits of homeschooling in the first session called "Homeschooling Discovery Time." Although hubby and I had already bought the DVD copy of the Parents' Orientation last year, it was nice to hear everything in person. Ms. Rita shared about her own homeschooling experiences, as she homeschooled her own kids for 9 years. Her eldest, who just finished college, is now working together with her at CFA. Cool huh?

Next, one of the moms on the CFA team, Rissa Espinosa, shared about their homeschooling life. I really liked the fact that she and hubby Rene were equal partners in homeschooling their kids - he taught their son, and she taught their daughter. Kind of like the times of our ancestors right? The men would teach the boys to hunt, the women would teach their daughters to gather food, cook, sew, etc.

The last part of the Orientation had Teacher Dad Rene Espinosa talk about "What Is CFA?" He basically described how homeschooling under CFA would be like - the grading system, number of hours to put in a day (usually 3 hours), days per week for homeschooling (Mondays to Thursdays, according to him), etc. He also said that all parents who choose to homeschool with CFA will have parent-coaches assigned to them. I liked this concept a lot, since I personally feel that I (and hubby) would need LOTS of coaching! (Mostly because I am very unorganized! LOL!)

After the Orientation proper, there was a Question and Answer segment. Out of the Q & A, I was able to glean the following cons of homeschooling with CFA:

1. CFA has no activities yet for older children who will be transferring from regular school to homeschool. Some parents were concerned about this, as their kids would miss their school friends. However, Ms. Rita said that they would seriously consider putting up activities for such kids (usually from the higher grades).

2. CFA is affiliated with Power Kids Academy which is based in Bulacan. For parents who have kids who are athletes or competitors of different activities (like dancing, singing, art, etc) representing the National Capital Region (NCR), switching to CFA may be a difficult choice. In such cases, parents who are still convicted to homeschool their kids may want to consider other homeschooling institutions such as The Linden Tree Institute, which implements the homeschool curriculum of Kolbe Academy, a Catholic school based in Napa, California. Others may also want to try The Master's Academy (TMA), but this is under CCF (Christ's Commission Fellowship), a non-Catholic Christian Church.

For me, the PROS of homeschooling with CFA, based on the Orientation as a whole, are as follows:

1. CFA already has a manual of sorts for parents who will be homeschooling their kids, complete with lesson plans and suggested activities. Sort of like a homeschooling for dummies handbook. (Which is very beneficial to a disorganized mom like me!)

2. As previously mentioned, CFA has parent-coaches. I like the thought of having someone to "mentor" and guide us, and pray for us, during our homeschooling days.

3. CFA focuses on three important aspects: learning, work and service. I LOVE THIS PART! I truly believe that success is not only defined by high grades - these won't get you into heaven!

4. CFA's staff and parents were very supportive and encouraging, especially when I brought up my concern about homeschooling on a single income (a mission worker's one at that!) in the future. "I'd like to believe that God will make a way for you" said Rene. Ate Rita said this (and I almost cried!) "God will bless your conviction and decision. It will not be easy, but He will provide." Aaaww... *sniffs*

5. CFA has weekly activities where the kids can gather and meet their "classmates"/"schoolmates." Also, they have special sessions on the Sacraments, and gatherings like "UN Day" and Christmas parties.

6. CFA has regular outreach activities too - this is the "service" part. Kids learn how to serve others, just as Jesus served His disciples. In this day and age of "Look out for yourself" and materialism and greed, kids need to know what is important and essential.

7. CFA is relatively cheaper than HAP (Homeschool of Asia Pacific). Although we are not choosing to homeschool for economical reasons, this is definitely a plus factor, especially for frugal moms like me!

8. And last but not the least on  my list of PROS, CFA was founded by Bo Sanchez, my personal "idol" when it comes to Catholic parenting and living in general. It's partly because of Bo's books and teachings that I have begun to pursue the dreams I have in my heart.

You may be wondering then: Will we be using CFA soon for homeschooling Tim and Rysse?

Well, to be honest, we are still discerning about that. We are looking into Catholic Heritage Curriculum too for now. Some families I've met online are using this and have nothing negative to say about it at all so far! We still need to see how we can work this out though since CHC is based in the US. If ever we do choose to go with CFA, we might just get their Special Reading Program first (for only P8,000!). We are of the belief that once a child knows how to read, all forms of literature can be their "teacher"! Books, magazines, newspapers, educational websites - everything can be a learning tool for the child who reads! (As of now, Tim can only read some three-letter words :-)

Anyway, please do pray for us as we continue to discern what's best for our kids. Thanks! Be blessed y'all!

P.S. If you want to read about real-life homeschoolers who are with CFA, here is a list of blogs that may be of use to you:

Homeschooling Kiddos - http://www.homeschoolingkiddos.blogspot.com/
Raising Filipino Boys - http://www.raisingfilipinoboys.com/
Homeschooling in China - http://zeksantos.i.ph/blogs/zeksantos/2010/03/10/q4-progress-report/
Filipina At Home - http://www.filipinaathome.com/2010/06/beginning-homeschooling-our-experience/
Teacher Tita (Aunt) Edel - http://edelramilo.blogspot.com/2010/08/my-first-quarter-homeschool-experience.html

P.P.S. I would highly suggest to all parents who are considering homeschooling to attend the Parents' Orientation in person! CFA is conducting orientations on the following dates: March 3, 2011, March 18, 2011, April 7, 2011. at the 1st flr., Lighthouse Bldg, #60 Chicago St., Cubao, Q.C., from 9:00AM-12:00NN. For reservations, pls contact Rita Yokingco at 5336097.

Catholic Filipino Academy Orientation Schedules

Reposting this announcement on Catholic Filipino Academy's Facebook page:

Catholic Filipino Academy (CFA): To all those who are interested in homeschooling their child, CFA is conducting orientations on the following dates: February 3, 2011, March 3, 2011, March 18, 2011, April 7, 2011. at the 1st flr., Lighthouse Bldg, #60 Chicago St., Cubao, Q.C., from 9:00AM-12:00NN. For reservations, pls contact Rita Yokingco at 5336097, or e-mail cfainquiry@gmail.com.

Feel free to e-mail me at teachermamatina@gmail.com too if you have any questions about homeschooling! HOME is COOL - HOMESCHOOL! :-)

P.S. Watch out for the 1st Philippine Catholic Homeschoolers Summit, en event especially for Catholic families who are homeschooling or considering it! Coming soon! A project initiated by Pure Passionistas!

HAP's Bev Alarcon on Homeschooling (MOMents TV Show, Net 25)

I blogged about Homeschool of Asia Pacific (HAP) in a previous post. Since we are discerning about starting Tim on a more "formal" curriculum next year, HAP and Bo's CFA are among our top choices, since HAP has both Catholic and Christian-biased programs. Here is a video of HAP's resident teachermom/owner, Beverly Santos-Alarcon, as featured on Net 25's MOMents show.

Homeschool of Asia Pacific Orientation - Live and Online

For all you parents out there who may be considering HOMESCHOOLING, here is a review based on an orientation we attended, conducted by one of the newest homeschool providers in the Philippines: Homeschool of Asia Pacific or HAP. Their website is at http://homeschoolofasiapacific.com.

It's a relatively new homeschool and hubby and I were able to attend the free orientation about a month ago at Eastwood Cybermall. The directress, Mrs. Bev Alarcon, and her husband have been homeschooling for about 3 years. At the live orientation, there were about 4 other couples present with us, and one single lady who was attending in her aunt's behalf. There was also a fellow Catholic mom (I'm not sure if the other parents there were all Catholics), Liza, who has been homeschooling her kids for EIGHT years, using the Catholic Heritage Curricula or CHC from the US. (You can read about Liza's homeschooling journey at their multiply site: http://hofach.multiply.com/).

Anyway, Mrs. Bev's live orientation was quite informative and there was time for question and answer afterwards. Prior to the orientation, each couple/person there (except us, she seemed to have overlooked us) had the chance to introduce themselves and share why they were considering homeschooling. A lot of the parents cited stress on their children as the main reason. Some even had their kids undergo psychiatric care because of the stress they got in school! Gosh, kids these days!

On our part, we came away from the orientation further affirmed of our conviction to homeschool. Although hubby and I did not decide to use HAP as our homeschool provider (I have emailed Mrs. Bev some questions that I preferred to ask her privately and am still waiting for her reply) at least we know that we have other options aside from Bo's Catholic Filipino Academy or CFA. Actually, Mrs. Bev had shared that they had previously homeschooled with CFA but found some regulations that were not agreeable with her and her hubby. As for us, we also went to CFA's office (about a week or two before we attended HAP's Orientation) to inquire about their curriculum. The next parents' orientation is scheduled for next school year, so we were advised to purchase the DVD of the orientation for P50.00. (I'll blog about it in  a separate post). Anyway, we were also advised to enroll Tim next year, when he has already turned 4 (on October 10 this year).

Currently, hubby and I are still deciding on WHEN exactly to start and WHAT MATERIALS we will be using.

If you are interested to know more about homeschooling, specifically with Homeschool of Asia Pacific (HAP), you can check out this SlideShare Presentation that Mrs. Bev uploaded online (she is a web developer too, so the HAP website is VERY informative):

LATEST HAP ONLINE ORIENTATION

View more presentations from Bev Alarcon.