Several days later, I asked the graduate the significance of the towel. Without hesitation she replied, “It’s a servants towel. It is meant to represent ‘washing of another’s feet’, which is just a small symbol of what we should be doing every day.” She went on to say that her degree is nothing, without using it to serve others.

After four intense years of classes, my daughter graduated with two bachelor degrees. However, I think that she and the other 160 graduates would agree that they graduated into Servanthood.

As moms, isn’t that our goal? When our children leave our homes to start their own lives, let it be our pray that they have graduated into Servanthood.

Force is a harsh word.

I do strongly recommend that they spend 20-30 minutes reading a day, before they eat lunch. Or, maybe I should say, before they are allowed to eat lunch……..

Maybe that is a lot like ‘force’ but it is just part of what we do

Before my sons were old enough to read, I read out loud TO them. When they first learned to read, I had them read to me, and read to their younger siblings. I guaranteed success by providing very simple books, even if they were several  grade levels below their level.

Even if the book had only 3-5 words on a page, and they read the page successfully, I hugged and kissed and congratulated them as if they had just climbed Mt. Everest. To them, it WAS a mountain!

When they were more comfortable reading, we made a left hand turn in the library. The fiction section was on the right, the non-fiction section is on the left. Boys OFTEN enjoy reading non-fiction much more than fiction. They picked out non-fiction first, then QUALITY fiction. I didn’t care what grade level they were reading.

The problem is finding QUALITY fiction for boys. I use lists from Veritas Press,www.VeritasPress.com, Sonlight Curriculum, www.sonlight.com, and Schoolhouse Publishing,www.shpublishing.com, to find the names of good fiction. I then look for them in the public library system. ( I do buy enough other resources from those 3 companies to keep me from feeling guilty for using the library)

In my opinion,  using quality fiction for boys is a secret to developing future readers. In this technological age, reading for readings sake cannot compare to video games or computer use, unless the story captivates the reader.

Some favorites of my 5 sons for 4thish-6thish grades include the following:

The Whipping Boy

I, Juan de Pareja

Bridge to Terabithia

The Hawk that Dare not Hunt by Day

Where the Red Fern Grows

Amos Fortune

The Door in the Wall

Adam of the Road

Ink on His Fingers

Carry On Mr. Bowditch

Johnny Tremain

A Father’s Promise

The Yearling

SIgn of the Beaver

The Cay

Do your sons have favorites???

Photo of 3 of our 5 sons…..

I have received SO many questions about homeschooling, I thought that I would post about it today!
Just yesterday, 2 moms asked if I had any secrets to help with organizing their homeschooling supplies and lives in general. I don’t know if I consider the 5 tips in this post to be ‘secrets’, but they have certainly helped me, over the past 20 years.
1. Each of my children have their own inexpensive plastic crates to hold ALL of their books AND supplies. They carry it into our kitchen each day to do their work, and then carry it out when we are finished. No more lost books, or pencils, or worksheets. If we were going to my parents home, 85 miles away, and stay a day or two, the children each transferred ALL of their supplies from their crates into a fabric, reusable bag from the grocery store. The handles made it easy to transport, and it kept everything safe and sound. I know that some moms store all of their supplies in backpacks. That didn’t work for us. Papers became creased, and it seemed like it was harder to find items inside…..like finding a toy in a large toy box or an item in a large purse.

2. Start with the most important subject(s) first!!! That way if life gets in the way of homeschooling :0, at least you worked on devotions, math, and English, for example.

3. Try as hard as you can, to protect the hours that you homeschool. I kept the hours of 6:30 AM – 12:00 noon, sacred. No doctor or dentist appointments, haircutting appointments, play dates, etc. between those hours. PERIOD

4. Make keeping up with general housework and clutter control, part of every day life. Attach it to something that you do EVERY DAY. Every day, my children eat at least 3 times a day. SO, before breakfast, lunch and dinner, we quickly pick up misplaced items and put them away, wash and dry laundry, and do some simple cleaning, and meal prep. Emphasis on the word ‘quickly’. I mean 15-20 minutes before each meal. If you find that life seems to be spiraling out of control,(You probably need to have a whole-house decluttering and organizing day!), you can homeschool 4 days a week instead of 5, at least temporarily. I can hear you gasping. It really is OK! Your children will still be fully functioning adults.

5. Be open to change. If the expensive curriculum that you purchased isn’t working for your child(ren), CHANGE curriculum!!! That is supposed to be one of the advantages of homeschooling; the freedom to personalize the resources. Don’t let money determine what you use or don’t use, consider the relationship between you and your child. I have purchased, bartered, borrowed, and loaned out materials almost every year for the past 20 years. What worked with child #1 might not be the best for child #2. Or maybe, you are in a different season of YOUR life, and it would work the best to team teach your children this year. Be open.

Goal backwards…..when you have finished your season of homeschooling, what will you have hoped to have accomplished?? Think backwards and set reasonable and flexible goals!

I bought new clothes and researched and planned for weeks.

I concentrated on doing my best, one day at a time. I felt personally responsible for providing a good learning environment, and a substantial education.

Each night I planned an interesting and hopefully, effective lesson, and each morning, I dressed for success.

When I arrived at the school, I put on my ‘best face’ and eagerly greeted both the professional staff, and my students.

I didn’t question how long I would be teaching this course at this school. I didn’t project. I just did the best job that I could.

God reminded me of all of that, one day, years ago, when I was moaning and groaning and questioning the point of my mundane days mothering my 4 young sons.

God had honored me with what I believe to be the most important job on the Earth, being a mom, and I was grumbling and complaining.

I needed to see the bigger picture.

He hand-knit the children who were calling me ‘mom’, and was allowing me to help to raise them for His glory.

Should I do less preparation in raising my children, than I did in teaching someone else’s children?

Should I not dress for success?

Should I not greet them with my ‘best face’ just as I did each day with my colleagues and students?

Should I not do my best every day to help prepare MY children for their future roles in God’s kingdom?

My home IS their classroom. The only normal that my young children know, is what they see in MY house.

So……I get dressed every morning, and get ready to go to work.

I might pick up a dirty sock, the dog’s toy, a half full glass of warm, curdled milk, and 13 other things before I reach my first destination, about 10 yards from my bedroom door, but I still arrive at work with a smile, (often forced), and an optimistic attitude to provide my Employer with my best today!

Picture of some of my best ‘employees’

Encouraging your children to be courageous, and to live out the destiny for which they were created;

Hero Tales by Dave and Netta Jackson

Courageous Christians by Joyce Vollmer Brown

For developing godly character:

Our 24 Family Ways by Clay Clarkson

Christian Character by Gary Maldaner

Disciplining children:

The Brother Offended Checklist by Doorposts

Homeschooling

Read for the Heart by Sarah Clarkson (a wonderful book to help you choose GOOD reading material for your children)

Learn This by Charles Gulotta (a list of the important facts everyone should know by the end of their 12th grade year of high school)

I Love Lists by Linda Schwartz ( a book filled with important facts organized by topics)

Seasons of a Mother’s Heart by Sally Clarkson ( an intense devotional for homeschooling moms)

A System for Chores:

Choreganizers-  a fabulous system, (not a book), of assigning chores that takes little effort, and makes the system the ‘bad guy,’ and not mom!

A very special devotional for tween and teen girls

his princess…girl talk with God by Sheri Rose Shepherd

You can read reviews and sample pages of each book on Amazon!

What are some of your favorites????

When Motherhood just  seems too hard, or when I feel like I am coming ‘unglued’, I have learned to take 4 steps.

I try to take the steps before I get too flustered, but I don’t always succeed. Just ask my kids…    :)

-I divert  my focus from the situation or problems to my God and His abilities and promises. Focusing on the problems and how frustrated I am, does nothing but bring more negativity into my thinking and speech. Meditating on several verses from the Bible helps me to bring life into the proper perspective.

-I try to obey Philippians 4:8-9 and take control of my thoughts, and the many verses in both the Old and New Testaments that command me to watch my words.

-I play my favorite praise CDs, and intentionally choose to think about  God’s faithfulness to our family in the past, and thank Him for all that He is doing, and will do in our lives in the future.

-I remember what one of my favorite mentors, Elisabeth Elliot, says, and ‘I do the next thing.’ Doing something, anything really, even washing the dishes, keeps me going forward, and not stewing in my ‘stinky thinking.’

What works for you?

Choices  Choices Choices………….

I have been asked to share some advice on how to pick the best curriculum for homeschooling your children.

-Try your best to determine YOUR teaching style.

-Consider the circumstances in your home. Are you….moving, pregnant, signing your children up for sports and music lessons 5 days a week so that you will rarely be home, starting a new job or business in the home etc……..All of these factors will contribute to how much of ‘YOU’ time will be available to help the children learn.  Some resources and courses are very mom intensive!

-What is your child’s learning style? It makes a difference. Even if you are team teaching more than one child at once, it’s important to know what each child’s learning style is.  Hands on learners will probably struggle if you choose only textbooks to read and complete each day.

-Higher costs do not necessarily mean a better product. Some of my favorite geography workbooks for grades 2-6 are $3.95 at K-MART.

- You can NOT assume that ‘one size fits all’ in the homeschool curriculum world. Spending $300.00 on a math curriculum because you know that all 18 children of your children, or both of your children,  will use it, is VERY dangerous. Have you noticed that even 2 siblings born to the same set of parents are often different in many ways? Well, you can probably add learning styles and preferences to that list!

-Mixing and matching resources is fun and effective. I promise that you will not leave out something so important that your child is left with a giant hole in their overall knowledge.

-Ask friends for suggestions and advice. Ask them what resources worked and why they liked them , and then ask what didn’t work, and why.

-BORROW expensive resources for a few days before you spend hundreds of dollars on them. I  borrowed a $350.00 math curruculum from a friend  and  realized that it would NEVER have worked for the son that needed it that year. However, I did like it for son #3 who would need it in 3 years. I looked for it at used book sales, and eventually found it for $25.00 just in time for son #3.

-Use the public library system as mush as it is possible and convenient. Pennsylvania’s state library system is wonderful.

Here are some of my favorite catalogs. They not only list items for sale, they describe how to use them, and the type of learner for which they are best suited.

Schoolhouse Publishing   http://www.shpublishing.com/    #1-877-SHP-4711

Veritas Press    #1-800-922-5082

The Classical Teacher   http://www.memoriapress.com/

Rainbow Resource Center Inc.   http://www.rainbowresource.com/   #1-888-841-3456

Homescience Tools   http://www.homesciencetools.com/   #1-800-860-6272

Remedia Publications   #1-800-826-4740  (This catalog is full of resources for learners who struggle a little more than other learners)

Sonlight   http://www.sonlight.com/

Photo Credit: http://www.myazonline.com/free-homeschool-resources/

I was VERY flexible with this schedule. About every 22 months I had a baby (times 9), so things had to be flexible. I have never pretended to be superwoman! In fact, there were many years that I only taught the children 4 days a week. I needed a whole day each week  to get the house back together, along with my mental faculties……..

Our mission statement, (which I would suggest all homeschoolers write before they start homeschooling), stated that I wanted all of my children to learn to read well, and comprehend what they read. I wanted them to be avid readers, and to fall in love with, and become very familiar with the Bible.

I also wanted my children to understand budgeting and managing money, and  to learn enough general skills to be able to thrive on their own.

I prioritized our days to meet the goals in our mission statement.

We would all wake at 6:00 AM, and make our beds.

By 7:00 we had devotions, ate breakfast, and brushed teeth.

From 7:00- 7:40 ish we did math and language arts.

At 7:40 we had a short recess and did jumping jacks or some other type of physical exercise. (I think that physical exercise helps little boys to regroup and pay attention)

From 7:50 -8:30 we finished  math and language arts.

At 8:30 ish We took another short break, so that babies could be taken care of, and laundry could be started, etc.

8:40-9:00 I would read out loud to the whole gang

9:00-9:20 Major recess for everyone. Baby usually went in for a nap.

9:20-10:00 We worked on either science or history or health

10:00- Quick break

10:05 ish -10:30 We would finish up whatever subject we started

10:30-11:00-Laundry, chores, prepare lunch and start to prepare supper

11:00 – Lunch  (By lunch time most of the younger learners were finished for the day.)

After lunch the oldest boys continued their school work and/or worked on art projects, practiced their musical instruments, practiced memorizing their verses for AWANA, or any other educational activity. The younger children worked on art projects, or Legos, or Duplos, etc.

At 2:00-3;00 all of the children had to play quietly on their beds, or take a nap. I used that hour to read, or scrapbook, or work on another type of craft

At 3:00 I would read out loud to the children, and we would play some board games. then, we’d have a snack.

After game time, I prepared supper, and the children played.

Around 4:15 or so, the children would do some chores to prepare for supper

5;00- supper was served!

How does that compare to your schedule? Some moms do best without a routine or schedule.

On Monday I’ll share more about curriculum.

The best advice that I was given when I started homeschooling was to buy a ‘year in a box.’ I bought a whole 4th grade year, 2nd grade year, and kindergarten year in a box from ABeka Publishing. It was expensive, but I didn’t have to figure out what books to buy for each subject for each of my 3 sons. (We pulled the oldest two out of school to homeschool them, so I was starting with a 4th and 2nd grader)
It was EXTREMELY labor intensive for both the boys AND me, but the year went fairly smoothly.
I never bought a ‘year in a box’ after that year, although MANY moms use them every year from K-12th grade.
I purchased fewer books for the next year, and I used a ‘team approach’ to teach all 3 boys each subject at one time. They had individual books for math and language arts, but I taught them history, science, health,music, art, and geography as a team, from the same book.
I’ll continue with my favorite publishers and catalogues and resources tomorrow!
How do you choose curriculum?

Photo credit:

Yesterday, I posted reasons why I think that anyone, yes, everyone, can homeschool their child(ren). You can read it here.

Today I thought that I’d answer the question that I’m asked the most often. “How do you know what to teach your children, and approximately how long does it take to teach a day?”

Before I started homeschooling, I had the same questions. I called three families who were homeschooling children about the same ages as mine, and asked if I could observe them ‘in action’.

That was one of the smartest things that I could have done, and I would suggest that others do the same! I have had many moms come and observe our family, and ask many questions, just as I did when I visited others.

I am not sure about other states, but  my state of Pennsylvania, has guidelines to follow.

Pennsylvania would like the following subjects are to be taught from kindergarten to sixth grade:

Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary, Spelling, Writing, Social Studies, Civics, Math, Science, Health, Physiology, Art, Music, Phys. Ed. and Fire Safety.

I would say that most moms help their children with Math and Language Arts 4-5 days a week.

The other subjects are generally taught 2-3 days a week, often for 1/2 of the school year. I usually teach history and civics 2-3 days a week in the fall, and science and health and physiology  2-3 days a week from January – June.

Music, art, and phys. ed. were part of our daily routine.

We added subjects like Bible study, typing, logic, and apologetics from 3rd grade through high school.

Answering the second part of the question, how much time it takes to homeschool, is  harder to answer.

It depends on……

-how many children you are teaching

-how many interruptions you have to deal with during the school day

-how teacher mom is feeling. Is she pregnant and not feeling well?

When my first 6 children were young, and the oldest was in 5th grade, I was asked by a friend what my typical homeschooling day looked like. Here is what I shared with her:

I start the school day with devotions and Bible study with everyone in one spot. We start REALLY early in the morning, because that is what works for me.

Everyone then gathers around our kitchen table and I help each of the children with their math and language arts. I hold the baby, and the toddlers play with a special basket of toys that I keep just for this part of the day.

After 40 minutes or so, we take a short break. I take care of the baby, and we regather on the sofa so that I can read a book out loud to the tribe.

If things are going well, we will continue with school work, and a different basket of toys for the youngest children. If things are not going well, we ALL go outside to work off some ‘squiglies.’ (My first 4 were boys..need I say more?)

By this time we clean up whatever needs to be, in the kitchen, living room, and bathroom. We eat lunch and then work on music lessons, art projects, and special subjects.

Two to three o’clock is quiet time for everyone. That is my hour a day to do whatever I’d like to do.

Before supper, we all clean up the 3 main rooms of our home again, and I try to play games with the children.

If all goes well, with few interruptions, teaching a kindergartner, first, or second grader could take about 2 hours of mom-child time. That wouldn’t include playing outside, playing with educational software,  creating masterpieces, etc.

Teaching a third or fourth grader could take 2-3 hours of mom-child time.

I’d love to hear about your schedules!

Tomorrow I’ll talk about choices of curriculum!

Photo credit: http://www.campingroadtrip.com/tips-and-articles/discount-passes-to-childrens-museums