You Are What You Do, Not What You Say
I want my actions to reflect my intentions. And I want them to say, very loud and clear, “I love you. And I’m listening.”
Celebrating May Day With A Pocketful of Wildflowers
I don’t know about you, but May is always an exciting month in our homeschool. It is the month where we start to wind things down, wrap things up and, hopefully, congratulate ourselves on a year well done! It doesn’t hurt that it’s also my birthday month… We celebrated the 1st of May with a day spent outside. If you live anywhere near us (or have anywhere near our overgrown, bee-friendly lawn!), you, too, will associate May with dandelions. Here they sprout with abandon, and I learn to appreciate them a little more each year. Although I haven’t gotten dedicated enough to harvest them (yet!), I find they do make enchanting photographs! The weather cooperated with us, which produced more than a few pairs of bare feet! My daughter delights in the flowers of the season, and we both celebrated the first poppy to greet us with its yellow warmth. Our littlest showered himself with the good, brown earth. And the three of them played, and played, and played. My daughter left this little gift. Knowing it wouldn’t last, I snapped a picture of the sunshine, warmth, and little wonders that it promised. I hope this new month finds you well, and inspired by the promise of May flowers, and a long and fruitful...
August: Homeschool Planning Time?!
The month of August is upon us and I’m simultaneously struck by an urge to preserve the summer – hang on with every fibre of my being – and plan. Yep, that’s right. As soon as the first day of the month appeared, I felt compelled. Compelled to count down. Compelled to face forward, compelled to plan. Since at least May, I have been reading blog headlines about homeschool planning. And, I’ve been asking myself, “Who are these people? Planning for next year already?!” What about enjoying summer?! What about a break? What about living this blissful season? (Maybe you are one of these people? If so, you have my kudos. Planning does not come naturally to me). Yet, here I find myself. Planning in August. A full, beautiful month of summer left, and it might as well be over. I’m itching to start. Itching to start structuring our days, do something “scholarly,” focus inward and, well, begin again. I m looking outside, and the hot summer sun is beckoning. The creek by our house calls. The kids and I are, regretfully, inside on such a gift of a day. And, as much as August feels to me like a filler month (the month before the big month of September, with its fresh starts, fresh notebooks and renewed vigour), I’m electing to embrace our August. Swim in the creek. Spend the days at the beach. Build a bonfire. Enjoy each other’s company and experience the treasured moments that will sustain us through the rainy season. This season is magic, and I intend to embrace it. So, if you...
Does Allowance Discourage Teamwork?
Sometimes I like to jump to the conclusion that, just because we are homeschooling, we differ from the norm in everything. Take my latest quandry: allowance. For whatever reason, my son has had a lot of people telling him that he could help me with this or that around the house, and get paid! He mentioned this to me the other day. Not in an entitled sort of way, but more as an observation. Wondering what exactly do these well-meaning people mean? So, it’s got me thinking. Just what is our stance on allowance? Is now the time to introduce it (my son is six). Should we introduce it at all? Which brings me back to how we are different (are we?). One of the reasons we homeschool is that, ideally, it allows us to better function as a family – as a team. We work together, respect each other, and have a chance to be intricately connected with one another’s lives. This includes chores around the home. I’ll be the first to admit, I do the bulk of the housework. (I suspect a lot of homeschooling families don’t break the mould, and are with me here. Mom homeschools the majority of the time, Dad works outside of the home. In fact, we’re a bit different in that respect, but, nevertheless, I still spend the majority of my days at home, and Dad doesn’t. So… our housework structure ends up looking pretty predictable). However, because the kids are also around all day, they see me in action. And, naturally, they are involved. Now, I say naturally, because that is how it works for us. They...
Letting it Percolate
If your family is anything like mine, whole days can go by without any formal learning taking place. Emphasis on formal (in contrast, not a day goes by without any learning taking place). Our days are full, but they are also full of time. Time to play, time to think, time to live with a concept and let it become a part of our lives. In contrast to the drill and kill method of schooling – which conveniently has been drilled into many of us – we prefer to let it percolate. Whereas in a school situation, there is limited time to introduce a concept, and to evaluate whether or not a child has grasped it before moving on, at home, time can be practically unlimited. One day your child, who was recently introduced to the concept of addition, will pipe up with – “Mommy, 10 plus 10 equals 20!” Or they’ll take their lego car and use it to randomly explain force, gravity and friction to you. These are moments that a teacher can’t always wait for. That a formal learning setting would have to test for. For homelearners, they are like a perfectly brewed cup of coffee. So, how can we help our kids percolate? Time. We can give them time away from formal, sit-down, adult-introduced learning. Time to play. Time to think. Alone time, and undirected together time. Play. It doesn’t take much more than time to encourage most kids to play. But, it is something we should be conscious of – both in providing time for self-directed play, and approaching learning in the...Always Rushing
Our family has been extremely busy lately. My husband and I have opened a new business. That, coupled with Dylan’s first year of homeschooling – we’ve been busy! It was a wild summer, and a crazy fall! While we’re still working out our kinks, I like to think we’ve been able to strike some kind of balance for our family.
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