I'll be the first to admit I am not a great homeschooling teacher. I've leaned heavily on friends and books for advice and direction. I do love having the girls home with me and and I love schooling them and very much believe in home schooling, I just don't think I'm very good at it.
However, there is one thing that I implemented that has worked so very well that I feel that I should share it in case it might be of help to someone else.
Every morning I help the girls with their morning prayers. After that I have Katherine get the Bible and and the calendar and look up the daily reading. We talk about the calendar, day, month, season, etc. Then I make her look up the reading and read it out loud to us all. When we first started doing this last year, it was hard reading for her. Now, she is able to read with great ease. We also read the Epistle and a Proverb. (We use the Orthodox Study Bible for the ease of read but also for the explanation at the bottom of the page).
While this has helped her reading a great deal, the conversations have been amazing. Every single morning the girls want to know what the Gospel is talking about, or why something did or didn't happen or why things went a certain way. They now have an understanding of the difference between the Gospel, Epistle and The Old Testament. Katherine now listens for the what we read in church and her eyes light up when she hears chanted what she has read. (Lord, may it always be so!)
Not only has this been a blessing for my girls, but for me too. I love discussing the Bible with them. We all have benefited from our morning Bible study.
While Katherine (8) and I engage seriously during this time, I let Thea (5) and Zoe (3) come and go as they please. I will usually get out the play dough so that they will stay close by and at least hear what is being said. Thea will always chime in with at least one question.
I thank God for this small blessing in our studies. I am always tweaking the girl's schooling this way and that, but I hope this area of learning always remains the same. "Little by little" the precious Mother Susanna always says, "Little by little".
