Keeping It Simple

Today in my email box, via the Teachers Pay Teachers newsletter, was this teacher tip: "Be gentle with the ones you teach... words are powerful... will your words crush a child's spirit or lift it up?"  Yup, I have heard it before, but I needed to hear it again today!!

I have a confession to make (one of a few I have made on this blog). I am a procrastinator. There is one place where this fault has shown through at its worst- taking care of my health. I have sort of a double whammy here- I really, really, really detest going to doctors of any sort (for myself) plus being a procrastinator. So, if you are the type of person that makes your annual exam appointments a year in advance and remembers to show up, this post is of no use to you! Be thankful. If you are like me, I am hoping that this post might motivate you! Fortunately for me, while dragging my feet cost me, it is only in pride and a bit of pain. Being the procrastinator that I am, I missed a follow up appointment for a minor skin cancer and then just did not go back to the doctor. So, instead of 20 minutes in the doctor and a little boo-boo on my cheek, I had a whole day in the doctor's office, and a bandaged, bruised, and sore face to deal with this week. ...

My "Helpful Hint" this week is perhaps a bit more serious that I would usually post, but this is what has been on my mind lately. As an "experienced homeschooler" I am often asked "how do you do it?" questions, especially in reference to difficult circumstances. I love to talk homeschooling, but it is always difficult to answer these questions on the spot- each family has different struggles, so our experiences will never be exactly the same. But, I do say that I try to take the long view. Coming from a traditional school background (most of us), we often view education as what happens when the books are open. We start to worry (frantically worry) when we have a year, or even longer, when we are unable to "do school properly".  I don't want to send alarm bells off to any school officials here, but I know from experience that kids are great teachers. When left to their own devices, they often learn things that we would never think to teach...

This little bit of advice in the my post heading has saved my sanity more than once. One place I apply that advice is at the beginning of our school year. We begin the school year one subject at a time. For us, that means starting the school year a few weeks "early", by regular school schedules, with just one subject. When I feel that we have that subject down to a routine, we add on one more subject- and so on and so on. Usually by the middle of September, we are up to speed. I often revert to this method when things feel like they are getting out of control (when it seems like we are working hard, but not getting much done). This allows me to evaluate what is going on in our school and identify where the problem areas are. In this situation, I might not go all the way back to just one subject but two or three. Another place I use this advice is with our schedule/routine. Often, when it seems things are not running smoothly, I try to choose just one thing...

Find what works. Stick with it. I am a curriculum junkie wanna be- I probably stop short of being one because it would cost too much money. It is so easy to hear (or view) what the "Joneses" are doing and feel pressure to keep up with them (or just think what they have looks more fun!). There are always valid reasons for tossing a curriculum overboard- I have done it. But, for the most part, curriculum works when used consistently. That is not to say that mixing it up is wrong. I definitely have a low boredom threshold and enjoy the spark of something new. A fun go-along or a supplement to what I have on hand is always fun. Not mention that each child has his or her own learning style, so changing up might be needed. The thing that I have found to be counterproductive is curriculum hopping to the extent of not getting our feet on the ground with what we have. Sometimes it is like trying a new food- a child may hate it at first, but once they have it served to the...

My 17yo points out to me that I always notice when she does something wrong, but I never notice when she does something right. I don't believe that to be completely accurate assessment, but I get the message. A little encouragement goes a long way. For those of us who are stay at home moms, we are used to putting in extra hours without bonuses. And, my children rarely thank me for all the work I do teaching them during school or helping them learn how to complete household chores. It happens, but I could count the times on one hand. Quite frankly, that occasional "hey mom, that was fun" lifts my spirits beyond measure. I would never suggest making up things to compliment your children on, but I would suggest looking for opportunities to say "good effort!", or "your help really helped me get through the day!". Also, at the risk of going against many experts advice, I don't think that financial reward is unwarranted. Most of us will work...

I am sort of cheating in that this is actually an excerpt from a previous post that was in answer to some questions I received. Looking back at homeschooling my now adult children, I will tell you that I don't regret one single workbook page that we did not get to- my only regret is the time I spent stressing that I wasn't doing enough (or well enough). I wish I had woken up each morning with less expectation and just enjoyed that time with my children. I still lose sight of this, but I am working on listening to my own advice! I am belatedly linking this post up to Helpful Homeschool Hints at Many Little Blessings .

The Helpful Hint by Many Little Blessings this week about seeking out homeschool support is right on. The encouragement I receive from my homeschooling friends has given me the fortitude to keep going. When I started homeschooling, we had three little girls. Easy enough. Girls actually like school! (mostly;)) My vision was we'd do this for a few years (maybe to high school), I would finish my education (I was still taking college courses at the ripe old age of 28), and then I would join the "grown-up" world. Well, it did not exactly turn out that way. Here I am, almost 20 years later, still plugging along and trying do the best I can (and mostly loving it). Like the above "hint" from Many Little Blessings will tell you, support is integral. Just  listening to another mom share her excitement about a breakthrough she has with one of her children or a fun unit study that they have done, is like soaking up that mom's energy. It renews my resolve to keep ...

The following is from a previous post about our school schedule. Other moms may not struggle with this, but for me it is something I need to constantly remind myself- free time is important. I tend to walk in to a room and see a child "just sitting" and start barking orders. This leads to general discontentment among the troops. When I am in that mode, cooperation (attitude) suffers- my children are much more likely to complete chores and school with a good attitude when they know they can anticipate some uninterrupted time off. I also don't underestimate the educational value of that time. Building Legos, reading, playing outdoors, shooting hoops, or just sitting and stewing on a problem are all easily as important as "book learning". Free Time I would love to say that my boys are always super enthusiastic about school (sometimes they are) but, for them, it is often about "free time". The one thing I have learned this year is to really carve out ...

This is the same picture I used at this time last year, but I just love it! We do have a weird dog- and yes, he really is sitting at the table playing with us. It is that time of year! Time to focus on family- wrapping presents, reading books, playing games, sipping hot cocoa.... I pray that everyone has a most blessed holiday season! I am going to have this post double for my "helpful homeschool hint". Allow yourself time away from school and the computer to focus on the holidays- however you celebrate them! I am linking to  Many Little Blessings Helpful Homeschool Hints .  

I enjoyed reading the link ups from  this " Helpful Homeschool Hints " post at Many Little Blessings . I love the link up idea and thought that it would be fun to join in. But, I honestly couldn't think of an single thing to share. Then it came to me- something my sister-in-law's father said to her after dropping by her house one day (as he frequently did). "You know how I know homeschooling is working for your family?" he asked. Perplexed, my sister-in-law just sort of looked blank. "Because you are doing it," he said. It is that simple. Every day when he popped in, the boys were sitting at the table "just doing it". I do think that is half the battle- whether you are doing it "right" or "well" is not the most important thing. Just doing it is. This post has been submitted to Helpful Homeschool Hints .

I tend to think of myself as "relaxed homeschooler". By that I mean a "wanna be unschooler" but just can't quite do it. Even still, I fall prey to all the usual stresses. I start to feel like we can't do certain things because we are "behind"- we have school work, laundry, chores, and more that should be getting done. I forget that I homeschool in part so that we can experience the world!  But, when my sister plans I field trip, I have to go. So last week we were off  to the Marine Lab. First stop was to the classroom where marine biology students taught the kids about shark anatomy, senses, how they lay their eggs, and what types of teeth different sharks have. From there the kids got to learn a bit about marine mammals and visit some dolphins (no pictures were allowed), and then back to the center where the kids got to pet a shark - yes, those are real live sharks in the tank and my son is over the moon excited to be petting one. And, we go...