We poured over our state laws governing homeschooling, and sent in our letter of intent. We got a binder for a portfolio, spent the summer leading up to the "first day of school" pouring over the internet, buying workbooks at Wal-Mart, and making lesson plans.

 

We dove into homeschooling head first.  We began to review what AP already knew, and then began "teaching" from there.   

 

At first, I think our homeschool very much resembled "public school at home".  Before long, my son began to hate school, and I began dreading "school time".  Something had to change.  I began thinking how much my son loved learning, and how much of a joy it used to be to teach him.  I wanted to bring that back.  So, as time wore on in the beginning, our homeschool began to get more relaxed.  And I once again began to see my child loving learning.

 

Just when things were really getting going....hurricane season 2004 hit.  Talk about a unique learning experience!  With so many evacuations, etc. half the time I wasn't sure if I was coming or going.  And even with materials boxed up to be evacuated, my son would want to do "school"!  There were days that it got done, and days that watching the progression of the storms was more important.  There were days that turning off the TV to do school would not have been the wisest of choices.  So, our son grew interested in The Weather Channel!  He liked watching these huge things approach land, and really loved seeing the reporters reporting DURING the storms.  From that point on, my son became a little weather junkie.  He simply could not get enough about weather.  He gave up cartoons and would rather watch Storm Stories.  He was learning on his own about weather.  Studying hurricanes wasn't exactly planned for his Kindergarten.  But, if he wanted to learn it, I didn't see a problem with it.

 

So much of our beginning formal homeschooling was Hurricane Season 2004.