we are family: homeschool

In 2008, when I first came to Riyadh, my two older kids were left behind in the Philippines (they were under the loving care of their grandmother and great grandparents) since they were still enrolled in a regular school. I would stay in here for 6 months then go back to the Philippines and be there for the next six months..that went on for 2 years. During those times we were really planning carefully what we want the set-up to be. We miss our 2 boys most of the time and there are times when the 3 us (my husband, me and our youngest)would only look at pictures of all of us together to compensate for our sadness..in as much as we would want to be complete in a distant place from home, we are hesitant to bring the 2 boys over since we know for a fact that schools here in Riyadh are pretty expensive..the thought of working here would enter my mind every now and then but there will be other things to consider like who would look after them while i'm still at work, etc. etc..

as fate would have it, I came across a website promoting homeschooling. I've had ideas about it before but didn't really bother searching into it since i was already working as a teacher and my two boys were enrolled in the same school where i was teaching. i looked into it and searched for other articles and write-ups about it. I presented it to my husband but he was unsure about it at first. but it seems as if God has already planned something for us..while i was in the Philippines (about to enroll the kids for the upcoming school year) i discovered that one of our close neighbor's daughter is working in a school which is tied up to a homeschooling system. They oriented me about the program and answered all my questions and apprehensions..in less than a month, my kids were already enrolled in the homeshcooling system..

homeschooling has lots of benefits, i tell you. i get to practice being a teacher plus i don't have to worry about my kids since i can always look after them 24/7. by the way, the kids' materials are called PACES - every area of learning is divided into 12 paces (booklets) so it's easy for the child to accomplish and understand every subject. plus, the child gets to pratice discipline since they really need to read before they can answer..and the best part of it is we have all the time in the world!!! =)

i think i'll have another post for the pros and cons of homeschooling =)


these are the kids' desks and bins that we got from IKEA. the stools we bought from Al Swalim supermarket for 8riyals (2 dollars) each =)


the eldest's materials..he has 8 subjects (areas of learning) now.


the second one's paces..he's got 7 subjects.


these are my youngest's materials (he calls them PACES, too)..he's not yet enrolled so i just bought the workbooks from a bookstore back in the Philippines.


hubby brought this home one day (he printed it out from his office computer)so that we can motivate the kids to eat more vegetables and to try out the gross-looking ones, lol..we placed it right in front of their study desks.