I think as moms we often live in the zone of “tomorrow”. There is just so much to do today and we are getting tired. Tomorrow is always there, promising more time and new energy. Like Annie, it seems we bank our hopes that the “sun will come out tomorrow”.
The bad news is that tomorrow just keeps hopping ahead one more day, and some very important things keep getting scheduled for “tomorrow”.
Kindergarteners are great!
Kindergarten has got to be my favorite year of homeschool: sweet little eager minds so anxious to be big and to learn and everything! Come with me through a day of teaching a kindergartner at my house.
After morning scripture study, bath and dressing, breakfast, chores—it’s school time. At our house, that is at 9:00 AM. We begin with a pledge of allegiance, patriotic songs and reciting our memory scripture verse. I like to talk about manners or safety, using The 21 Rules of Our House. We also enjoy reading aloud—today it is a chapter of On the Shores of Silver Lake, by Laura Ingalls Wilder. (For other good read-aloud books for your kindergartner, see Honey for a Child’s Heart.)
Question:We need to know about testing. When? What materials? How often?
Please help! Our son is in the 4th grade.
As home school moms, we are trying to put information into our children’s minds and hearts, not pull it out, which is what testing seems to be all about. The most effective test that can ever be given is to talk to the student for 5-10 minutes, asking questions, asking him to explain details of the subject you are testing him on. This was the method (oral evaluation) used in educating our founding fathers and it was very effective. Most homeschoolers find eventually that oral testing is the most revealing of the student’s knowledge level, and can be pleasant, rather than nervewracking.
Question:My daughter is 10 years old, and we are homeschooling full-time this year. It is hard because we moved to a small town and she is used to having friends in the neighborhood. We are slowly getting to know some really nice homeschoolers in this area. How do I continue to keep her motivated? It seems like things will go along smoothly, and then she wishes she was back in school. I don’t want to send her back. [Read more…]
I need help! My toddler is so demanding, and takes up much of my attention and time, that I am having trouble homeschooling my other children.
It’s tough—I sympathize!
Having a bin of interesting toys for your toddler to play with on the floor while you are reading aloud or teaching can buy you some time. Rotating the toys (so your little ones expects to find something new in the bin) helps keep interest. Something they have to manipulate works well and keeps them busy longer. My favorites are Stacking Pegs and the Toddler Tote. A ramp racer is a good one too!
We joined a homeschool coop which is great and I love it. They only meet for 2 hours or so on Friday mornings, though, and then for field trips once a month. Of course, there is no guarantee that the kids in my daughter’s class will be at the field trips. So, how do your kids make friends? I didn’t want her to go to public school, but with homeschool it doesn’t seem like she’ll make friends as easily. She’s very introverted. [Read more…]
Mothers ask me why some years, we don’t take a break when it comes to homeschooling. I wonder that myself! I guess the answer is that homeschooling is just regular life at our house. We have done it so very long, that it is part of the routine. It is easy to keep at it and it gives order to every day. Yes, I do ease up a bit in the summer, mostly in the amount of preparation I do as a teacher. During the school year, I feel more desire to really put in some effort to prepare such things as science experiments, unit study lessons and the like. When summer heat and activities arrive, I am more flexible. Some mornings we garden or go to yard sales or do service instead of homeschool. Gardening is a very important subject in our homeschool; a basic life skill! We get our basic homeschool subjects done every day too. The children do it as automatically as they brush their teeth and say their prayers. This has been part of our daily life since they were infants, and it just continues year round, rain or shine, summer or winter.
My very sweet grandbabies: Abigial and Rebekah and their new baby brother Isaac
I am a mother of a 1, 4, and 6 year old. I tried homeschooling this year with the attitude it is “just kindergarten” and my daughter is not enjoying it, I am not enjoying it, my son who is 4 drives me crazy he doesn’t listen to anything I say, so it seems. My daughter wants to go to the school her neighbor friend goes to but something in me likes the idea of homeschooling. I am so confused. My husband supports me in my decision, but I wish someone would just tell me what to do and have a peace about it! That is my big thing, I want to feel peace. Can you help? [Read more…]
There’s work to be done when you raise a family! It is possible, however, to turn time spent in routine chores into time well invested in helping a child practice skills or building memories. Have you tried the “Mary Poppins’ Method”? I don’t think a spoonful of sugar is very healthy for making the medicine […]
