Here we are!!

Ahhh, look at our little group, it warms my heart to see it growing every week. This week Marina led us in a paper cutting craft. I think we were blown away with the amazing cutouts Marina was cranking out. There were little crowns and dogs, paper lanterns, and flowers. Little pictures with delicate water and small white moons. The kids loved creating and I loved seeing what creation Marina was going to make next. We welcomed Susan and her two sweet boys to our group. I'm looking forward to next week.

Nature: The Great Teacher

Early on my son Jack showed a very strong and clear connection with nature. As a baby I would pace back and forth in our little apartment with him as he cried endlessly, exhausting every method I could think of for consoling him. One day I stepped out the front door with him and he was calmed instantly. I would spend my days walking all around my neighborhood, pushing him in his stroller as he happily drooled and gazed at everything around him. As he has gotten older he has become "friends" with the little harlequin bugs in our back yard. He holds them and lets them crawl up and down his arms. He loves flowers and all sorts of creatures. I ran into a friend at the park today. A former teacher and now tutor. She advised me I should be teaching Jack his numbers and letters and making sure he knows his address because "at this age a 5 year old needs to be learning independence" huh? really? I thought. For me that is maybe the last thing I want Jack to be learning right now. I'm glad his head is getting filled up with the things he loves, the bugs and flowers and trees. I'll wait till he's a little older for lessons in independence.

Our first post

I'm so excited to introduce you all to the Contra Costa County Homeschool Meetup blog. This will be a place where we can share about our lives as we homeschool our children. I for one need all the support I can get, I'm new to homeschooling and really don't have much of a clue to what I'm doing. I do know that I'm excited about being my kids teacher, about watching them as their little minds unfold. Helen (the organizer of this meetup) and myself (the assistant organizer) are excited about this blog and about all the wonderful people we are going to meet through the community Meetup group. Thanks for visiting, please come back as we keep you posted on our lives as we homeschool.

(post by Heather)