Homeschool Style: Sticking to it!

Story break.....

A friend of mine...when I say friend, we saw eachother at art class and often chatted about homeschooling...so maybe I should say an acquaintance....anyway, 

she was a lot like me in her homeschooling style. Calm. Cool. Relaxed. Lots of good books. Picked a math curriculum and just went with it. You know the type. We don't do many crafts and we're part of a community so we don't have to do science projects at home! 

Then, a new girl moved to town.

Complete. Opposite. (which is ok and wonderful!)

She was crafty. She had an awesome homeschool room. She always had things planned to the minute. Complete with all the latest and greatest curriculums money could buy and all the fun stuff to go with it! I even found myself being envious over her. But my friend jumped right in. Had an addition built on to her house. Changed all her curriculum. Slowly our conversations were less and less because she was spending all her free time planning her next big idea. It wasn't long before her and her children were in tears and burnt out! 

If your style is like this new friend's with the craftiness and the planning that's AWESOME and wonderful and I say do it heartily as unto the Lord! If this is you, let me add that you're doing an awesome job and many of us wish (in ways) that we could be more like you!

But if it's not, I want to encourage you! It's okay! Do what works best for you and your family! Don't worry about what everyone else is doing!  Find your style and stick to it!

In this social media world, it is easy to get wrapped up in what everyone else is doing. How cute their homeschool rooms look. How pretty their crafts look. How clean their homes look. Etc. But that's just it....they just look that way!  They have bad days/weeks/months/years too! Don't let the pretty pictures talk you into trying to be something/someone you're not!

We homeschool all over the house.

My kid's rooms are usually a mess.

I have a daughter who is particular.

I have a son who struggles to read.

I have another soon who has a bad temper.

We're working on it! 

Things take time!

Then sometimes you find this.....

And This.....

(literally while I was typing this post :)  )

And you have a "I must be doing something right" moment!

So... how do you find your style?

You can google home school teaching style quiz and take a few of those.

You can mimic someone who is a lot like you and see how that goes.

Or...... My Favorite.....

You can pray and ask God to show you some things that line up with what He would have your homeschool to be! 

Some people are naturally structured... some are not!

Some children are naturally structured... some are not!

(isn't it amazing how those kiddos can have the same genes and be so different!?!?!)

Some people like everything laid out for them... some people like to lay things out themselves!

Some people are simple...some people are complex...some are compound complex!

But, we're all God's creatures great and small! We're all called into this amazing journey of homeschooling! Don't let people influence you in a negative way!

So... get a a piece of paper and write you're school name at the top. Divide it in 2 sections...1)We Do and 2) We Don't. As the good Lord speaks to you about your homeschool and you learn through trial and error, write it down! Every time you entertain the idea of trying something different or new, look back at this list and see if it fits!

What's your style?

Have you ever tried something that didn't work well for your family?

What's your take on the outcome?

Homeschool Habits: 7 Proverbs to Help Keep Your Homeschool Running Smooth!

Some days are worse than others!

Let's face it! We cannot have an ideal homeschool day every day! Here lately, I haven't had a single one! Things happen. Life happens. So, what can we do to get back to the basics?  What can we do to make sure our days will run smoothly?

In my 4 years of homeschooling, I have found these 7 Proverbs and tasks to be tried in true in having a smooth running day.

1) Prayer - Proverbs 15:33 "The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility."
Daily humble yourself before God in prayer and recognize that apart from Christ, you can do nothing. Call on God to help you throughout your day to keep your focus on Him. Pray for your children! Pray God will open their minds and hearts to receive what they will be learning that day and pray for any specific needs your child may have. (Here are a few posts I've written on prayer)

2) Devotion - Proverbs 4:20-22 "My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh."
I cannot stress this enough! I know this is the hardest thing for a Mommy to get done! The simplest way to make sure this happens is to wake up 30 minutes earlier!  I know it's hard but the Lord will bless your efforts! Do NOT skip this! Sometimes I let my morning get away from me and I am tempted to keep on trucking. I have to stop myself and make myself steal away for a time of devotion. Sometimes this means backing everything up 30 minutes, getting 3 kids busy on something, and hiding! Just do it!

3) Know Your Teaching Style - Proverbs 16:20 "He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the LORD, happy is he."
I didn't realize how important this is until I saw a friend try to do things that were not in her nature to do. Homeschool friends are great but we are all passionate about what we are doing individually. I am always careful to share with new homeschoolers because I have seen how easy it is to latch on to what others are doing. Handle this matter wisely and you will see the good! Know your style and stick to it!

4) Be aware of your time - Prov 27:23 "Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds."
I Do Not use a timer!  I know I'm breaking homeschool protocol!  But I do not want my child's learning time to be defined by the sound of a timer going off! However,  I am always aware of what time it is and how long we've been working on a task!

 

5) Use a bell to regroup - Proverbs 1:5 "A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels."
We are constantly splitting up and regrouping throughout the day. I found a cute service bell at a local store a few weeks ago and we are loving it. When I need everyone to come back together for whatever reason, I ring the bell. Simple! It has helped with first time obedience and following directions! Keep it interesting. Don't let every time you ring the bell be for giving directions....they'll stop coming! Change it up with a "drop everything, we're going to the park"! Or hand out candy! Or sing a song. Take a walk. Have fun with it!

6) Be flexible - Proverbs 10:16 "The labour of the righteous tendeth to life: the fruit of the wicked to sin."
Leave time to tend to life because life happens whether you're ready or not! Sometimes we all just need a break! Sometimes people drop by! Sometimes the dishwasher breaks and there's water all over the Kitchen floor...true story! Don't let it ruin your day (like I almost did)! Take care of business and pick up where you left off!

7) Make lists for each child - Proverbs 29:18 "Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he."
If they don't know what is going on, you'll loose them completely! A while back I found myself telling my kids over and over what we were doing that day. I started making lists for each child (read more here). It takes me about 15 minutes to make my list and three children's lists each night. They know what's going on, what's expected of them, and where to look for their next task when Mommy's not available. It has encouraged responsability and independence in our home! (You can read about my children's lists here)

I hope these verses have helped you as much as they have me! Keep strong. Keep it simple. Keep praising God for the opportunity to homeschool! It is truly a gift!

What are some verses that have helped you keep things in perspective?

Homeschool Habits! 15 Minutes to a Successful Homeschool Day!

I have recently tried to impliment a new habit in our homeschooling journey.

 

This habit has totally transformed our homeschool!

Because of this habit,  we now accomplish all of our tasks for that day (well, at least most of the time).

This habit has brought peace into our day!

This habit has answered questions for us!

This habit has kept us on track!

This habit has blessed our homeschool tremendously!

The best part is that this habit takes no more than 15 minutes to complete!

Ok are you ready?

Chore Charts Shmore Charts: What to do When All Those Cute Charts Don't Work!

I love pretty things!

 

I love scrapbook paper but I don't scrapbook! Strange, I know!

 

I love looking at all the beautiful pinterest pins of home decor!  But, I'm not much of a decorator!

Truth is...pretty things tend to be a waste of time for me. And sometimes a waste of money!

*I know this post will be anything but popular in blogger world.

But, I just want to be real for a minute!*

I can't tell you how many of those cute and easy chore charts I have
Searched for
Found
Printed
Laminated
Used
&
Filed away!
(I would throw them away but I spent some time and money on those things!)

 

The thing is....a chore chart is one more thing to impliment into my already packed day! 

 

So, what now?

 

Stop doing chores? No way!

 

How can we make sure chores are getting done and everyone is doing their part?

 

Here's 5 easy steps to getting it all done! 

Homeschool Planning and Scheduling: Day 5

Handfuls of Purpose in Our Daily Schedule! 

Digging into the hour! 

Today I would like to spend a little time explaining what we do in those 4-1 hour blocks as mentioned in Day 2 of this series. This post is rather long so just hang with me and I'll try to type fast ;)

1) Morning Time 8:30-9:30

• Shortly after we finish breakfast, we pile on the couch or in my bed and read!
• Devotion. (You can read more about that here)
• Bible Memory Work which is in a question answer form. We love these because they often bring more thought, expression, and questions into our conversation than I expect! 
• Memory Verse-we simply memorize a verse that coorelates with our studies. No rhyme or reason to this but very intentional! 
• Poem- I found the Classic Poetry for Children at a curriculum sale and we love it!  We are learning Biology in Science and have enjoyed the poems on animals recently.  
• History Read Aloud is loosely related to what we are learning in Classical Conversations. Right now we are learning Ancient History so we're reading a book called A Cry From Egypt by Hope Auer. This is a fascinating book about when Israelite Exodus told from the eyes of a slave girl! We are talking or time through this book because we like to talk about what's going on then get our Bible and read along with it! This is turning out to be my favorite book we've read so far! 
• Art/Music-During this time we simply look at or listen to something beautiful! I often find art books at used book stores or sales. A few weeks ago,  Mesopotamia was in our timeline and our geography and I happened to find a book about early Mesopotamia art at our library! SCORE! We enjoyed looking at the statues, sculptures, lines, shapes and symmetry! If we go the music route,  we usually simply turn on the FM classical station and maybe draw or color while we listen for a few minutes.  

• We end our Morning Time with prayer. Thanking God for another day and for His presence in our lives!  Without Him, we can do nothing.  But with Him, all things are possible! 

Homeschool Planning & Scheduling: Day 4

"Coming Together"

So, my eclectic plan consists of taking the 4-1hour blocks idea from the Foundations Guide at Classical Conversations, combining it with Half a Hundred Acre Wood's Cycle 1 Planner, Teaching the Trivium schedules, and other great idea from other Homeschooling Mommies! (See Day 3 of this series) I began by grouping each subject into the correct block and then splitting each day. This is my end result:

Purple is for E

Blue is for S

Greene is for W

Yellow is for All

My 4-1 hour block are:

1) Morning Read Aloud Time

2) Grammar Review and Notebooking

3) Language Arts

4) Math

We also have an hour of free reading time in the afternoon

Homeschool Planning and Scheduling - Day 3

!!!Send Out the Search Party!!!

Sometimes looking for the right schedule to fit your home school is like looking for a needle in a haystack! 

Sometimes you just have to gather your resources and come up with your own thing. You know how women are, we like to brainstorm and get ideas from other women.

First: I asked some other Homeschooling Mommies I know how they did things and this is what I found out..

Homeschool Planning and Scheduling - Day 2

What's The Big Idea?

The next step in this process was to determine exactly what I would be teaching. This will be my first year with all 3 kiddos in "school". So, after the panic settled I started with my curriculum choices.

We will have a 3rd grader, 1st grader, and Kindergartner. Our days will be busy, hectic at times, and even seemingly unproductive, but I'm a firm believer in working hard as unto the Lord.

Phonics/Reading

In the past, I have used Saxon Phonics, which I loved, however I find it difficult when you are having to teach multiple levels. We are also traveling a great deal with my husband and I nearly needed an extra suitcase just for our Saxon materials!

So, for teaching Phonics, we now use something called Reading Lessons Through Literature. It is an Orton phonogram program teaching reading through spelling. It is complete with spelling lists and short stories taken from The Elson Readers all in one book!

Homeschool Planning and Scheduling - Day 1

The Dilemma!

One of my greatest struggles as a Homeschooling Mommy is used to be our SCHEDULE! I am a planner and an organizer but not very disciplined at times when it comes to the execution of what I have planned :(

My husband is a Preacher so we have to leave flexibility in our schedule so that we may minister. However, if I do not have things planned out I tend to forget something important or just not do them. That's right I said things go undone around here sometimes! Let's be honest here people. Not everyone has it all together. I know I sure don't. But I do know one who does. The Lord has this whole thing worked out. After all, we have life because He gave it to us. We have breath, because He allows it. We have blessings, because He allows it. Every now and then He does like He did ole Job and drops that hedge a little bit and we go through some trials and temptations just so He can mold us and make us into the image of His glorious Son, my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! But all that is for another post :)

Today I'm talking about getting a grip on the planning and the scheduling of homeschooling. And, I have learned that the Lord works all that out as well. Ultimately, God is in control even in the small areas of life such as our schedule! Ahhhhh...what a relief!