How do you do "to do" lists?

Chrissy at
Enriched Living
had
asked this awhile back,
and
I could not figure out how to send her a document via e-mail...
so here it is via "a picture". Hope this helps Chrissy! *smile*

My day consists of :

a "Rise & Shine" routine, a time for just me in the mornings. My spiritual triathlon is 10 min reading, 10 praying, 10 listening (usually w/ worship music, but sometimes in silence)
Loving movements? yeah, that is just my kind way to tell myself to exercise ;^)

a "Morning" routine. Things I should have done before our schooling for the day begins.

a "Afternoon" routine, in which the kids do most of this. =)

a "Light's Out" routine; this is where we wrap up for the night, and the house is tidied up so that it is "smiling at me" in the morning. ;^)

I have had this schedule for many years. I laminate the 2 papers back to back and hang it on the wall for reminders. The only thing that really ever changes is "Our Day" when our school subjects can be rearranged or sports change the schedule.

I have not been doing my routines lately...and yes, it shows...not only by how the house looks, but in my attitude also....

Anyone else have routines to share?
How do your days look?

Homeschool Reflections~


question #3

traditional?
relaxed?
mixed?


Charlotte Mason?
classical?
unschooling?

What is your style?

I started out traditional. I copied the classroom setting. Abeka was given to us, and for boxed curriculum, I thought it was great.

I am a classic extrovert. Outgoing, talkative, friendly, love people!

I especially enjoy sports for the kids. Getting to know my children's friends, and chatting with other parents has always been a highlight of many soccer seasons.

Our 4th year of home-
school, many things were going on. We had 4 children, one on the way, 2 being homeschooled, ran a full time daycare of 6 additional kids. Routines, activities, and outings were constant.... I had quite the busy days! At soccer that years (Nick's midschool years) a new homeschool kid joined the team. Yay! Another homeschooler (these things are rare ya know). He was a quiet kid, but friendly, enjoyed soccer... and Nick had fun playing soccer with him. For a while, a long while, I never noticed this kid's parents.....

I think the following year I finally "met" the dad. He had introduced himself to me with a thought of getting the boys together more often (than just soccer season) to hang out. Hmmm....great idea. It didn't happen for awhile.

One day at a the end of another soccer season, I was chatting and visiting and cheering and laughing and enjoying the game...

and a sweet mama was sitting up on the bleachers, quietly tucked away in a corner with her young son. She was engaged in conversation about animals, pausing to let her son share his own thoughts. Her countenance was lovely, her words intelligent, her demeanor pleasant. ...and I paused long enough to be in awe...

In the midst of my friendly, outgoing self...

I had never met this mom.
How long had I overlooked her?
Who was she?

She was clearly a quiet person;
quite opposite me! ;^)

My life was full of go, go, go....
and she oozed calmness, peace, a gentle spirit.

Her son was Nick, the other Nick, the other homeschooler on the team. By now (a couple of years into this) Nick and my Nick were becoming good friends.

Finally, another summer into this story, us parents finally got together to get to know each other. They are a lovely family...

Nick and Nick are still good friends...

even though we moved away 2 yrs ago.

and I still adore his mom...

So... what is the point of this story?

This ordinary mom taught me a life lesson...
simply by her actions. Just by "being her"...

It does not matter what we teach our kids, how we teach them... there is no wrong way to homeschool (other than just not doing it)... but what does really make a difference is who we are....

Who we are when nobody is looking.

How we behave towards our children... now that matters.

To slow down...
to exhale...
to listen...
to share...
to pray...
to display gentleness....
to let them know they matter...
to embrace their personhood
to notice the small simple moments that seem to whisper by...

Thank you Tonia! I think you are beautifully authentic!

*pictures above*
Today we had multiple meltdowns in our home, so I gathered my little clan together, and we explored the outdoors.

We paused long enough
to hear the many birds in our area;
observe ducks, geese, and squirrels;
explore a nature path;
and appreciate fresh air.

What is our homeschool style?

to educate by whatever means are neccessary,
all the while nurturing, guiding, and mentoring our children into adulthood.

Homeschool Reflections

Question #2

How to homeschool w/ littles in the home?

or, in my circumstance,

How to homeschool multiple age groups effectively?

There are several approaches (that I am aware of).

Do group activities...like nature walks, field trips, exercising science experi-
ments, etc.

Keep the littles busy w/ a snack & activity!

Send the overly active little one outside to play! of course, w/ safety in mind... we have a fenced yard, own a overprotective pitbull, and I have full view of him through a big window & a sliding glass door AND he usually has a buddy (aka sibling) that will always join him.

Lots can get done in a school day if one waits til the littles quiet time...shh (whoever wakes the baby, takes care of the baby, er toddler)

Another technique is to assign one sibling to play with a little during one-on-one time with another sibling. Rotate as necessary. =)


What works for us:

I chose self-learning a couple of years ago. That is, the older students are fully responsible to get their required work done without being told and with their best resource at hand (their own brain). Isn't that what we do to "teach" a subject? They are perfectly capable of doing the same research to get an answer as I am... the age of this responsiblity is a matter of maturity & parental discretion.

Our classroom schedule can be found here.

My older students get their core work done in the morning. Writing, English, Science, & Literature. This is done in the a.m. THIS is when I spend quality time w/ my littles. Where lessons, story time, & crafts are done. We follow this with lunch. Then I find that because I have had focused time with the littles, they usually are ready for some type of quiet time (usually a movie); this is when I have group studies w/ my older children. These are the 'extras' of education, but things I feel are important, and this is the time of day that keeps us connected as a family (and a school). FREE time follows. Activities are a bit chaotic at this time, but they have fun! The older boys often pick videos games, but it is not uncommon for them to kick a soccer ball around w/ the toddler, play scrabble w/ sissy, or wrestle w/ Andrew amongst a list of many other things. History & Bible are currently done in the evening when Dad can join us..but that's not school is it? that's just fabulous family time!

What does NOT work for us:

To expect, try, or attempt to give individual instruction for every subject to each student.
Don't get me wrong, they all need guidance & help from time to time; but spoon-fed instruction is not neccessary nor beneficial. One of the best approaches I apply is to ask a question of their questions. huh?

Katie "Mom, why does Tuttle (our turtle) sleep in its shell at night?"
Mom "Why don't you read about turtles in the encyclopedia, and tell me what you can find"
Usually, this is where she chooses to write about it, but will also have a great conversation with her dad & I about what she found out.

TJ "I don't understand Integer multiples?"
(in my day this was called "multiplication of fractions)
Mom "Can you write out the problem for me? What step would be next?"

I love the "how do you spell _ _ _ _ _ _"....
how would you spell _ _ _ _ _ _?
95% of the time they will spell it correct. =)

So, how 'bout you? If you homeschool and have little folks, how do you homeschool with littles around? What works for you?

Homeschool Reflections

Chrissy has some fantastic homeschooling questions she has pondered since she began her journey back in summer of '09. I decided to begin a series here to help her (& others).

note: I do not have all the answers. In fact, most answers will be a matter of approach. It will depend on your individual interests as to what the right answer is for you & your family.

I will share my tidbits of thoughts here. If you have similar thoughts, completely different ideas, and/or your own post about the specific topic at hand, please do share in the comments section. Thank-you!

Reflection # 1

Do you name your "home" school?

We did not for many years. Infact, until we moved to a state that had stricter rules about "home-based education", I never even pondered the idea. Then the thought of pulling together Nick's high school transcripts for his diploma (aroung the end of his sophomore year) also guided the idea of naming our school.

My main approach to homeschooling is that it is a lifestyle, rather than a building. So I pulled together LIFE academy, but I wanted to apply an acronym to LIFE to bring it more meaning. I simply interrupted my 2 oldest sons playing a video game and asked what LIFE could stand for; without even a blink of an eye, and as matter-of-fact-as-can-be, my oldest son said "Living In Faith Everyday" and they continued to play their game. Hmmm, wow, that actually works for us... so there you have it....

l.i.f.e. Academy

So, what do you think? Did you create a name for your school?
Why or why not?