A Heart for Homeschooling

I can't believe we are already two days into our 2016 home school year! It already has been a blast! I honestly love every second of it - challenges and all. So many people ask me about home schooling. They waiver and wonder if it is for them. This gets me excited! I love that more and more people are even considering it. I understand that it is not for everyone and that there are people who don't want to do it. I think that is a good thing. God calls us all in different directions and places us in different places for many reasons. Basically I just want to say I totally understand that God has created us all for different things and that home schooling is not for everyone! I am not trying to convince those that don't want to, to do it. I want to help those that feel a tingling in their toes when they think  about it. I want to encourage those that wonder to research and know. Honestly I believe people are more capable then they think they are to take on the challenge of home schooling.

Home schooling is not something most people just dive into. When one starts to think and consider the idea they start by researching and asking a ton of questions. Most home school moms would agree that there are a few statements and questions we have heard over and over again during our
home schooling journey: Skeptics, concerned family members and people genuinely interested in learning more always claim and ask, "I could never teach my own children!" "I wouldn't know how to teach them." "What about socialization?" I just want to take a few minutes and just respond to these questions and share my heart.. For those on the fence maybe I can help encourage you to take the leap of faith and dive in putting aside any fears you may have. 

1.I could never teach my own children.

The truth is when you first start trying to sit down and teach your children there will be adjustment period.And its not just for them! lol It takes time to figure it out what works for you and what works for them and get your groove going. It does take time to teach your children to listen and pay attention to you during school time. But the key is to keep at it, not give up and make it fun. And don't put too much pressure on yourself! If you only get in 15 minutes the first day think of it as a victory, and when a few weeks pass and you did the whole school day you will know you are succeeding. I look for progress not perfection. If my children are learning then they are growing. Learning is more than just workbooks, textbooks and tests. Learning happens through experience. Create a rich environment for your children to play in that will help stimulate their minds, help them learn and create opportunities for conversation. And take some of the pressure off of yourself!! Have faith that children like to learn and will learn all they need to know in due time! 

I have taken a Montessori approach to our play/school room. I buy toys that facilitate play ie: cash register and fake money, play food and a kitchen set, puzzles,books, instruments, lacing toys, games like checkers, dice, toy animals and dinosaurs, sorting toys, play clock, magnet set, counting blocks, leggos, and there are some other things over there. They both love the school room. They don't realize they are learning because children learn through play.

For example I just realized the other day that my two year old can count to 13 and I have never officially taught her. I find opportunities to count with her, but not based on any sort of curriculum. She naturally picked it up herself through life and play. She was sitting at the table counting her crayons while I was doing a lesson with Tripp. When I heard her I stopped in shock and praised her! I was so excited to see the proof that children will naturally learn!

2. I don't know how to teach my children.

This kind of goes off of Number 1. First of all you do not have to have a degree to know how to teach your own children. You already teach them every day whether you mean to or not! Teaching is simply presenting information and facts on a topic while coaching children to learn and comprehend what is being presented. You don't have to know everything, I learn as I go. And I share with my son when I learn a new fact. It makes it exciting for both of us to learn together! There is no real technique other than trial and error. Maybe you like to sit at the kitchen table, in the living room or like a desk and white board. There is always room for change and no two days have to be the same. Unless that is how you operate!

There are also many curriculums, videos, conferences, books and groups to help guide you so you know you are teaching your children what they need to know. Putting yourself around other home school moms will help give you the peer support that is important on a journey like this! It is important to communicate with others so you know you are not alone.

Also remember that leading by example is the best way we can teach our kids. Enjoy the process,get messy and paint with them, slither on the floor when you're pretending to be a snake, be in awe of the erupting volcano pumpkin when doing a science project. Get on their level. Be present, be patient, be kind and admit when you make mistakes. Be honest with your children and show them how to pray and have a relationship with God. Be the person you want them to be!




3. What about socialization??

This one gets under my skin honestly... because I always want to say...well... what about it??
If I am home all day with my three children they won't socialize? I mean I guess I find that silly, because even if we never left the house my children and I would still talk to one another. While having conversation with them they would learn how to socialize. Having multiple children also gives opportunities for socializing as children with siblings have to learn to share their parents, attention, space, toys etc. They learn to look out for one another and care for one another. They have to learn how to play together and get along, just like children in school do.

There is also the opportunity to join home school groups, go on field trips, visit the park, play sports and do all the other things that kids do. The truth is if you put your children around other kids they will make friends any where they go. Children are not very judgmental. They see someone else their size and they want to go play!

My over all point is to not worry so much. God asks us in His word, what will worrying do? It cannot add a day or solve a problem. All it does is waste our energy. If you are being called to home school, just try it with faith that God will guide and direct your steps. He will help you figure it all out once you say Yes! You will be capable, not because of your abilities, or lack there of, but because His abilities and unfailing love!

Go For Gold!

In celebration of the recent Olympic Games a fellow home school mom had a great idea to help bring the 2016 Olympic Games to life for our little learners. Her idea was to host her own Home school Olympics; play some relay games and do a flag matching competition and eat some food! It sounded super fun so I didn't  hesitate to click "Going" on my Facebook Invite. But as soon as I clicked"Going" I panicked...

"Wait We are going to go to an Olympic party but we haven't even watched the Olympics!?!?! Match flags??? I better start teaching them! I don't want them to be the only ones there who don't know what the Olympics are...We need to watch the Olympics!!!"

Now in order to properly prepare my children for an Olympic Party I have to teach them a little bit about the Olympics. Or so I thought....

I had it all "planned out" in my head how and what I was going to teach them. But the days kept passing and since our school year starts next week I have been in organizing and preparing mode. So we didn't learn anything about the Olympics the week before,but I was determined to teach them on Monday (the party was on Tuesday). As it is now Saturday I don't remember what happened Monday but yet another day went by and I don't know if I even mentioned the word Olympic.

The day of the party I tried to pull up some videos, give a brief history lesson and explain what the Olympics were (at least to my oldest!) Well we watched for 5 minutes as the camera went around the stands showing us the crowd (which did give us an opportunity to talk about other countries flags!) but as soon as the track and field event was about to start the video wanted me to sign in and we weren't authorized to see the rest... EPIC FAIL!



But oh well there was no more time to prepare we had to go...for a moment I thought maybe we just shouldn't go...but that was a silly notion! So as we walked to the car I just went over the fact that the Olympics was an international sporting event. Tripp seemed satisfied with that information, Mia didn't even care!

We went and the kids had a BLAST!!!!! It didn't matter that they didn't know much about the Olympics or whose flag was whose. Mia is only 2 and well her age group did the free for all event! LOL And Tripp had a blast competing in relay races and playing with his friends. In the end he even won 3 silvers and a Gold medal!!!!!!

Sometimes when we are preparing our kids for things we put too much emphasis on the facts and forget that most kids learn best through experience. I totally dropped the ball on any Olympic Lesson Planning, but that didn't take anything away from their learning experience!!!

OH Where OH Where Has My Table Gone???? OH Where OH Where Can it be????

In my home it is not just the children who are sloppy, I must confess: my husband and I can both definitely leave our fair share of messes behind. Even as a child I was messy so it shouldn't be such a surprise that my children's cleaning up skills are lacking. 

Before children I used to war against the laundry ... I couldn't keep my clothes off the floor for the life of me. Finally I started realizing I shouldn't wait until my laundry was overwhelming to wash it! If I would just do small amounts daily I could keep up with it :)  LOL And with that realization I started to win the war! But that didn't last forever... I had my third baby...And now I am loosing the battle again. :(  (Refer to my first post to check out Mt. Clean Clothes that has become a permanent resident in my living room.) It is just harder during this season of life to keep up with everything and keep my kids busy the way I would prefer and have the energy to do it all. So I am learning to be OK with it, but I am actively trying to come up with a game plan so that it is doable and not overwhelming. 

In preparation of the new school year my house has become an out pouring of all the thoughts and ideas running through my head that I want to implement this year where my main goal is to keep them busy doing productive things while staying on top of the house chores as well. This is taking quite a bit of planning and and cleaning up and organizing which creates more of a mess in the mean time and allows the kids a lot of free time to either watch (too much) TV or make more messes LOL 

  During the process my kitchen table has become a war zone. 

Super Mess

Semi Mess

All my posters, file folder games, construction paper, paint & paint brushes, scissors, tape, feathers, googly eyes etc needs to be organized and sorted through so I can go into the new school year prepared. The kitchen is where I keep all of my homeschooling resources so my poor table has become my storage space as I empty it all out to put it all back! :O   While I am trying my darnedest to get my kitchen table cleaned off completely it has been taking me ddaayyss to get this all done, as I sit here I am must confess I am still not quite there... I had a super busy weekend and just didn't have the time. It did drive me crazy, but we had plans  for birthday parties, the beach and a baby shower so I ignored it and we had fun. I  can just chalk it up to sometimes when a task is that large it is best to take a break and come back to it! 

It definitely worked. I got my table almost completely cleaned off! Now onto the rest of my house to finish other cleaning projects I started. This is our last week of summer, with only 6 days left I am wondering if I will be able to get my house back together in time to start the school year off on the right foot...or the way I envision starting it I should say. This is where it is easy to put pressure on yourself  that doesn't really exist. I can start school on the day I scheduled whether my table is fully clean or not. While I would so love to have all of this done ... if I didn't have three kids to tend to who interrupt me every couple of minutes...I might, but I don't. So let's just face it, it is OK. It is OK that my house is a little unorganized as I prepare for the school year. It is OK that I have to stop what I am doing  all day long to go play with the kids, change a diaper or get them something to eat (which is usually what they want!) It is OK because if it weren't for them what would I even be preparing for?Their messes are signs of their creativity, imagination and shows what they are thinking and is evidence that they are there!

Semi Clean! :) 

I may not win the cleanest house award at this time in my life, but hey at least you can see my kitchen table now!!! :) :P And as long as the children are learning, growing and having fun, what is a messy table now and then. 

 

Fire Fighter For a Day!

I think whether you go to private school, public school or home school field trip days are always the best! Before school even got started this year we went on a field trip! We visited a local fire station. (I was personally sooo excited! I have been dying to go on a field trip to the fire station! Honestly I don't know who enjoys home schooling more, the kids or me? :) ) Soo  anyways

We visited a local fire station and got a grand tour. It was great. The truck is so intricate with all its gauges and equipment. The fire station house was impressively clean. I didn't realize how much work went into being a fire fighter and that they work for 24 hour shifts! That is pretty close to mother hood hours LOL. The fire fighters were very patient and informative and the kids felt very welcomed. We even heard the alarm go off for the ambulance!


After the grand tour of the fire station  the firefighters pulled the truck out so the kids could squirt the hose!!!! You know they loved that!

Then to show the children not to be scared of fire fighters she put on the Fire Fighter's Outfit and showed the kids how it was just equipment that they wear and that fire fighters are really our friends. 

We ended the morning wearing fire fighter hats they gave us and a group photo! It was an amazing morning of learning and hanging out with our friends.

The day before the field trip a friend of mine inspired me to do a little pre-lesson after she sent a picture of her doing a pre-lesson. :) HONESTY MOMENT: At first I was annoyed and disappointed in myself for not thinking of it first and I actually thought to myself I wasn't doing a good enough job. But instead of getting down on myself I shook off the feeling,and  turned to trusty old Google and found some resources to help my kids prepare for the trip.

First we watched a catchy little video on Fire Safety. Check it out here: Fire Safety Video.  It is super informative and my son is still singing the catch phrase (and it's been over a week!) The video encouraged us to then spend time talking about what to do in case of an emergency, how to call 9-1-1 and Stop,Drop and Roll. (The Kids LOVED rolling around on the floor pretending they were caught on fire!) Then my oldest Tripp, who is 7 and I made a (Simple) map of our home, created a meeting place and talked about alternate routes depending on where the fire was.

I wanted to also add a craft so  I quickly googled fire truck crafts, clicked on images, found one that was easy to duplicate and quickly cut out the pieces and called my daughter   (who is almost 3)  into the kitchen to make a craft. My oldest opted out of  the craft and for a moment I thought to myself, "NOOOOO then this lesson won't be perfect!" But I took a deep breath to calm down and reminded myself that I am not a perfectionist and that it was ok, it was a pre-school craft any way. I wanted to end our time together reading a book where Elmo visits the fire station, but  of course I couldn't find it ...  Grrrr... but Oh Well!! LOL (this incident did encourage me a few days later to organize all of my books!)

I think it is safe to say to we learned a lot and we are thankful for the men and women who put their lives on the line to help us in times of emergencies. The fire fighters did a wonderful job teaching and catering to all of the children. And I think it is safe to say that not all learning has to be done with some grand lesson plan in store. Sometimes it is better to just start learning somewhere and see where the Holy Spirits leads you!

Life As Is...

My house is a semi mess: The mountain of clothes on the couch are clean, the kitchen table is covered not in food- because there is no room to eat there- but in posters, yarn and hot glue as I prepare for the new school year. My hair hasn't been cut professionally since I was in my 20's and my kids think the floor is one big toy box. My life isn't glamorous by any means. At any given time of day you can find spit up on my shoulder or baby food in my hair. I am a home school mom of three and my life centers around them.
My patience is challenged everyday and I am constantly having to find ways to put my children first without totally neglecting myself and my house!:) :)  My life is imperfectly perfect. My children are pure perfection loud, demanding, messy and all. My life is a mess and I wouldn't have it any other way. I have learned that perfection is in the eye of the beholder. I am not a perfectionist. I learned at an early age I was driving myself crazy trying to be. I realized I could succeed even if things weren't picture perfect. Life is perfect because of the imperfections. It's when things don't go as planned we learn, it is when we make mistakes we grow, it is when the unexpected happen that memories are made. Life isn't about striving to be perfect it is about striving to living and accepting it just the way it is, imperfections and all and thanking the good Lord along the way. Life is a gift, not a check list. And success is measured in true happiness not dollars or things. I am in love with my life and can honestly say I am where I am supposed to be. Whether it looks perfect or not doesn't determine if it is perfect or not. To me it is and that is all that matters!