in need of discernment

I am sure that all parents struggle with these things...

What activities to register your children in, if any?

How to react when your child does _____________ ?

How many toys to allow your children to have?

How much TV, computer, iphone or video games to allow your children to play in a day?

How much do you give your kids for allowance?

At what age and how much housework do you get them to do?

Today I am struggling with some decisions about homeschooling next year. I really enjoyed it this past year. Because I was only doing kindergarten with Emmett and because he is pretty bright, it wasn't really that hard. We kind of did a delight driven learning thing. But we did some math and reading, mixed in with lots of stories and fun. To be honest, we spent very little time at the table doing 'school'. And it was great. As a family we did lots of reading and learned about things as life happened.

 But now with GRADE 1 looming over me... I have so much more pressure and expectations put on Emmett and myself.

I have decided to do  blended homeschooling this year, which means that certain subjects will be aligned to Alberta education standards. I choose which subjects I want to align in and I can also choose what I want to use to teach him- with the guidance of my facilitator.

 I spoke to her this morning... and I am overwhelmed. I am scared. It is scary stepping into something new. Though she can verbalize the expectations and send me checklists, there is a certain fear that Emmett and I won't measure up. Uggggh!

That is not why I am homeschooling. The delight driven learning appeals to me a lot more than pushing through the workbook so that we get credit for it. Sigh. And then she recommends certain curriculums and resources for me to look into- double uuuugggggh! Too many choices and options. How does one know if that program or workbook will work with their child? What if we hate it? I know that truly nothing is lost if we start something and don't finish it. But I would rather buy something and love it, and do great at it.

And so the kids are sleeping, and I am pouring over the catalogues and the websites trying to fill in the gaps in my program plan. I am trying to decide if I want to align to Alberta educations outcomes for Social Studies (probably not) and Science (maybe)- and my head feels like its about to explode.

But on the other hand- looking at some of the materials is very cool! I love certain books we will be reading. I love that he will be reading more and more on his own. I love the math program we are using (Singapore Math). I love the Living Books on Nature. I love that we will be learning certain Science topics together - Building Things, Senses, Colors, the Needs of Plants and Animals. Though these subjects seem young for Emmett, they will be great for us to do together with his younger brothers. There are parts of this planning and preparing and organizing that I love- and others that I hate.

I am in need of discernment, what is best for my family? What is the best for Emmett? What is the best for me?