The "Not-Good-Enough" Homeschool Syndrome

I've been thinking a lot lately about the “not-good-enough” home school syndrome.  You know the symptoms: insomnia brought on by your son’s spelling abilities, tightness in the chest when your daughter’s friend starts spouting off facts about ancient China, despair when you see your homeschool friend’s clean house.  For a homeschool mom the opportunities to feel like you are not doing “enough” seem almost limitless.

I have a friend who has let her two elementary aged sons fill their room with reptiles and amphibians, the boys now volunteer at a local pet store and are starting their own reptile show.  I have another friend whose children know more about ancient history than any adult I’ve ever met.  There’s a mom in my support group whose son won the National Geography Bee.  Then there are the stories about home schoolers who graduate from high school when they’re 14 or better yet, the families who tour the globe in a sailboat.  All that can be rather hard to stomach when all I've gotten done today is the laundry and a trip to the library!

So what’s a wanna-be super homeschool  mom to do? Here are a few ways I've found to beat the syndrome.

1. Give credit where credit is due.  I am often so busy noticing all the things we aren’t doing, I forget to note all the things we are doing.  My husband is really good at reminding me of the many, many things we do get done every day.  He points out all the little things I do: the time I spend reading with the kids, the discussions about everything from politics to science, the service rendered to friends and neighbors, and the time spent teaching my children to clean, cook, and garden. These teaching moments really do add up, even if they aren’t grand or eye-catching.
    
2. Write it down.  I am an eclectic homeschooler, so I usually don’t have workbook pages to show for the work we’ve done.  That makes it especially important to write things down.  I don’t record our activities every day, but I try to make an entry in my blog when we do something special and at least once a month I jot down a whole day’s activities.  When I feel like I’m not accomplishing anything, I can look back through those entries and realize just how much we have done.
     
3. Acknowledge our circumstances.  One of my children has severe learning disabilities, so I often feel like our progress is non-existent. Sometimes it helps to take a step back and realize that although his advancement is slower than most, he is learning and growing in so many ways.  Whether it’s a new baby, a move, or illness I have to take these special factors into consideration when I look at how much “school” we are getting done.
    
4. Pray. One of the wonderful things about home schooling is its boundless opportunities.  There are so many things to be involved in and so many paths to follow.  No two families’ journeys are going to look the same.  So rather than stress myself out about all the amazing things that other families are dong, I have to pray to know what path our family should take.  I have to have faith that the Lord has a plan for us.  When I strive each day to live that plan, I can be confident that I really am “doing enough”.
    

You can leave your thoughts, comments or suggestions here on my feedback page. Thanks!

- Lisa

They'll Love to See the Temple

The House of the Lord—the temple—is a house of learning.  Coffers of treasured knowledge await those who attend.  It’s the ultimate university on Earth, and though it’s a private school with an admissions process, it’s available to all—even children.

I am blessed to live close to a temple.  Here in Logan, Utah, our temple is on a hill and we can see it at almost any given moment if we look in the right direction.  We moved here from the Seattle area, where we lived 45 minutes from the temple on a good traffic day.  When we moved to Utah, I loved how excited my then 2-year-old son got each and every time we drove into town when he could see the temple up close.  He’d be sucking his thumb and twisting his hair and then all of a sudden he’d come to life and point and shout, “I see it!  I see the temple!  Mommy, do you see it?”

Many of the most spiritual and revelatory temple experiences I’ve had have actually come outside the temple, on the grounds with my children.  My husband and I are not perfect parents, but one thing I think we’ve done right is to make the temple a real part of our children’s lives.  Whenever we travel, we try to make seeing the temples along the way a priority, to emphasize that temples are worth seeking out and going to, and to let the children experience the spirit that is there. 

As the children grow, opportunities also grow.  This past summer we arranged for our older children to do baptisms for the dead at the Nauvoo temple while we vacationed.  They appreciated that unique experience.

In addition to going to the temple just for the sake of being at the temple, I’ve tried to tie the temple into all aspects of my children’s lives.  Here are a few examples:

Many years ago, we belonged to a homeschool book club.  When it was my turn to be in charge, I chose The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett.  For the activity relating to the book, I had everyone meet at a park next to the Seattle temple.  There was a wooded trail area between the park and the temple.  I gave the children jump ropes and we jumped and skipped our way through the woods to the temple.  We looked at the flowers and fountain and the temple itself.  Then we went to the “secret garden” on those temple grounds—a small, circular contemplative clearing tucked into the trees and shrubbery that you have to deliberately look for. I took the children inside and we talked about the book, and gardens, and exercise, and how knowing about temples and the Plan of Salvation might have changed characters and events of the book.  Then we returned to the park to plant seeds.

For my daughter’s 5th birthday, I based her birthday party on the bookCinderella CTR by Rick Walton.  I loaded a bunch of cute little girls into my van and we drove to the temple and sat under a shade tree on the hill, looking at the temple as I read the book aloud.  We then walked around, took pictures, and then went to a nearby park to make princess crowns and decorate temple-shaped sugar cookies.

The temple grounds are where I’ve chosen to have the initial maturation and intimacy talk with my children when they reach that age.  It’s a special date at a special place with a special spirit.  Being there sets a tone that can’t be duplicated anywhere else.  I feel a strength and guidance there and believe more of the right things are said and in the right way. 

• Include temples in your studies of geography.  Where in the world are they?  If you’re talking about one particular place, find out where the nearest temple is.  What does it look like?  Is the architecture unique to the area?  It’s also fun to check out the license plates of the cars in the parking lot when you visit and find those states on a map.
• Temple gardens are breathtaking!  Visit the temple grounds when studying horticulture or landscape architecture.  Talk about industry and beauty.
• Photography, painting, sketching—let the temple be your subject.
•  In character education, find stories of the people who built the temples who demonstrate the qualities you’re discussing.  You may be able to find the exact stones or engravings that particular person worked on if it’s outside and see it in person.
• You can even do math on the temple grounds.  Look for symmetry and patterns.  Discuss D&C 88:119 and the meaning of order.
• Do an entire unit study on temples.  Go with the modern LDS temple history and the stories of those temples, or begin at the beginning and discuss all temples.  Be sure to differentiate between pagan temples and dedicated temples. 

Of course, you don’t need an academic reason to visit the temple grounds.  The main reason for being there is to symbolically bring your children to the foot of the Savior, that they may feel Him close and desire to prepare for temple blessings themselves.  Always remember to stress reverence and how special the temple is, and don’t let visiting the grounds become too casual.  Develop familiarity and love, but not a tendency to take for granted.

My 6-year-old daughter’s favorite song is, “I Love to See the Temple,” and she means it; the lyrics aren’t empty words for her.  She gets giddy with excitement when she sees me pull my white dress out of the closet and put it in a suitcase, imagining out loud how beautiful she thinks I must look in it.  There’s no doubt in her mind that she will “go inside someday.”1  She’s preparing now, with our help, and she can’t wait.

I realize that not everyone reading this lives near a temple.  I realize that for some of you, getting there yourself is a huge sacrifice.  I still challenge you, however, to do what you need to do to take your children to a temple to walk the grounds, touch the walls, and sit and feel the spirit there.  I promise they’ll remember it and it will matter to them.

You can leave your thoughts, comments or suggestions here on my feedback page. I also have a Yahoo! group dedicated to incorporating the gospel into all aspects of schooling.  To join the group, go here

Thanks!

- Sasha

My Favorite Winter Fun!

Winter can be a boring, filled with snow and cold and nothing to look forward to after the excitement of the Holidays. Personally, I love winter. It’s time for new goals, a new perspective and I usually have less on my calendar than other times of the year. I have an excuse to stay home.

But my kids don’t see it that way. They see it as boring months that stretches on forever as winter seems to do. To help get my kids through these hibernating months, we have added fun to our school days to help make the winter go faster. Here are some of the things we have done.

One of my kid’s favorites is our hibernating. We curl up on the couch with good books. I read to them and they read to themselves. They like me reading best. We pop popcorn and grab blankets and read until I can’t hear my voice anymore. We dump a bucket of Legos on the floor and let the little ones (the big ones too) play with them as I read. We have read “Summer of the Monkey’s”, “Carry On, Mr. Bowditch”, “Mara, Daughter of the Nile”, and lots of Louis L’amour. They are great historical novels. Our family favorites are “The Walking Drum”, “Fair Blows the Wind” and all of the Sacket Series.

For the little ones we read “Winnie the Pooh”, “Understood Betsy”, “Little House on the Prairie”, and “The Door in the Wall”. It you have never read “Winnie the Pooh” out loud to your older kids you are missing a treat! They are so fun to read and you are never too old for Pooh! There are lots of book lists out there, but one of my favorites can be found at www.amblesideonline.com . They have books listed by grade starting with preschool.


Another regular for winter is Sun Days. These started when we lived in Alaska and the sun would disappear behind the clouds and we wouldn’t see it for days. When it came out we would have a Sun Day like schools have Snow Days. We will do the minimum of school and then it was outside to play! Even though we are not in Alaska anymore we still have our occasional Sun Day- just for fun. One year my kids built an igloo that they practically lived in all winter. A single light bulb heat those things toasty warm. Who knew?

We have also had history nights. We have a dinner with costumes and maybe a presentation or play that goes with the time in history we are studying. One year we removed the dining table legs and we all lounged on the floor eating our Roman dinner in our modest togas. The kids spent days making costumes, decorations and of course, the food.  We were in sunny Rome itself for the evening, instead of the dark, cold winter.

One of my homeschool friends heard about our history nights and she asked me to help her do one for all the LDS youth in our area and their friends. We chose the medieval times. We had the attendee’s pay a modest cost to help pay for the dinner and we had a nice crowd of kids who got to see that homeschoolers can actually do cool things! We had a banquet that the kids ate with their hands. Then we had a costume parade, played games and danced.  We even had a court jester who wandered around singing rhymes about the people who attended. Very fun! It was a huge success.

One more idea we do for winter is science marathons. We take the time to do the science kits we tend to neglect during the rest of the year. So we have plants with foil on their leaves, rocks growing crystals, etc, dotting the house. My kids really love the hands on stuff!

Winter blues can be a thing of the past if we make sure that we plan some "cool" in our days! Hibernating in winter can really be cool!
 

You can leave your thoughts, comments or suggestions here on my feedback page. Thanks!

- Dana

NOEL – A Christmas Unit Study

A few years ago I found a beautiful Christmas tapestry.  I love tapestry, but what caught my eye the most was that it made “NOEL” into an acronym for “Night of Everlasting Love.”  This wonderful idea is the jumping point for this year’s new Christmas unit, fresh out of my thinking cap.  Merry Christmas and Happy Homeschooling!

The First Noel
Sing “The First Noel” (Hymn 213 in the LDS Hymnbook, also found in most books of Christmas carols.) 

Discuss the word noel.  It has two meanings:  a) Christmas; b) a Christmas carol.  There is argument as to the word’s etymology. The French say “Merry Christmas” by saying “Joyeux Noel,” so it would appear the word is French.  While the Norman invasion of Anglo-Saxon Britain did greatly influence the language, you may still find the word spelled Nowell, which is the original English spelling, and there is more evidence suggesting the song’s origins are English.  According to one source, this traditional spelling is due to the English supposing it a contraction of the phrase the angels spoke to calm the shepherds:  “Now all is well.”  That gives the word a magnificent new meaning and true connotations of good tidings!  Either way, the word derives from the Latinnatalis, meaning birthday or natal.

If you have several books of Christmas carols, a comparison might reveal that there are more verses to this song than included in the LDS Hymnbook.  At church, we sing only 2 verses, while the original text had 9 stanzas; most sourcebooks still only quote 6 or 7 of them at most.  No one knows who penned these words.  They were first published in a collection of Some Ancient Christmas Carols in 1823 by David Gilbert, the music a traditional thirteenth or fourteenth century folk tune from the west of England.  Research and the carol in its entirety point to it being written by an unlearned person.  The awkwardness of some of the lines as well as it not being completely scripturally accurate, point to a medieval author, who obviously wouldn’t have had access to the Bible, nor would he/she have been able to read it if they had.  Still, faith and joyous enthusiasm created one of time’s most beloved songs.  The entire text can be found here: http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/f/r/frstnoel.htm   (A discussion may follow here about folklore, oral traditions, literacy, and what one can do with faith.)

Signs
Read Luke 2:8-20 and compare the carol’s lyrics to the scriptural account.  You may note that in the song we sing of the shepherds seeing the Christmas star, whereas there is no mention of the star in relation to the shepherds in the scriptures.  Angels made Christ’s birth known unto the shepherds, and spoke of a different sign for them in Luke 2:12.  What sign did they have? 

The rest of the words of “The First Noel” speak much of the wise men.  Read Matthew 2:1-12.  The star was a sign to them.  Read and compare Genesis 1:14-16, Moses 2:14-16, and Abraham 4:14-16.  Discuss stars as signs. 

Read Helaman 14:2, 3 Nephi 1:1-21, and/or A Night Without Darkness – A Nephite Christmas Story by Timothy Robinson.  Look up signs in the Topical Guide.  When and why does God give us signs?

You may also want to include Abraham 3 and discuss astronomy and its usefulness.

Stars
Continue discussing stars.  Find out all about them.  You can simply read up on the science or assign research papers or posters or projects.

Plan a Star Night:  make star-shaped sugar cookies and lots of cocoa and choose a clear night to bundle up and go outside to contemplate the stars together.   Share this quote from Neal A. Maxwell: 

“The new star [of Bethlehem] would have had to be placed in its precise orbit long, long before it shone so precisely!  By reflecting such careful divine design, it underscored what the Lord has said:  ‘All things must come to pass in their time’ (D&C 64:32).  His planning and precision pertain not only to astrophysical orbits but to human orbits as well.  This is a stunning thing for us to contemplate in all seasons! . . .  There is a personalized plan for each of us.  Like the Christmas star, each of us, if faithful, has an ordained orbit, and priesthood path, as we pass through this second estate.”  (The Christmas Scene, booklet [Salt Lake City:  Bookcraft, 1994] 2-3 or This is the Season Beloved of the Year [Salt Lake City:  Deseret Book Company, 2002] 5)

You may also want to watch Elder Maxwell’s talk from the Hubble Telescope on the Special Witnesses of ChristDVD, and/or read his CES address titled “Our Creator’s Cosmos.”

Shapes
When we think of stars, we often think of just the 5-pointed star or pentagram.  However, there is also the Star of David to consider, as well as the “fancy” star with a circular or square center and 4 triangular rays extending from the compass points, and even star “burst” shapes.  Provide tangrams for your children to experiment with making the different star shapes.
Pentagram:  1 pentagon, 5 equal isosceles triangles; triangle bases the same length as the sides of the pentagon
Star of David:  2 equilateral triangles of the same size; also try 1 hexagon and 6 small equilateral triangles
Compass Point Star:  1 small circle or square, 4 longer, skinny isosceles triangles

To see other possible star shapes go here:  http://www.northpolechristmas.com/starshape.html

Other possible star activities include:
*Make 5-pointed stars with glittery pipe cleaner by bending at the proper length and proportion.
*Cut 5-pointed stars like you would snowflakes.  Instructions can be found here:  http://www.dltk-kids.com/usa/fold_and_cut_star_shape.htm
*Learn about symmetry.  Fold a piece of paper in half, then unfold, and using tempera paint half a star on one side, from the center fold out.  Fold over, stamp the blank side, unfold and let dry.
*Teach little ones how to draw a 5-pointed star.

You may also wish to research and discuss the symbolism of these shapes.

Night of Everlasting Love
Introduce acronyms.  They’re all around us.  What common ones do you and your children know? 

Learn the song “C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S,” found in the Reader’s Digest Merry Christmas Songbook or athttp://kokomo.ca/xmas/christmas_lyrics.htm .  Have the children make their own picture cue cards for learning and remembering.  Give each child 9 pieces of paper, one for each letter.  Have them make a large “C” on the first one, drawing a picture of the Christ child next to it.  Continue for each letter. 

Talk about NOEL being an acronym for “Night of Everlasting Love.”  Discuss what that means and why it’s appropriate.  

Using familiar words have everyone make acronyms of their own.  Introduce acrostic poems.  Begin with one word per letter, then increase the difficulty and see if phrases can be made; then try to make lines that rhyme.  Be sure to do an acrostic for star.

Directions
The star was in the east.  The wise men came from the east.  Now is a good time to talk about the four cardinal directions.  Include the mnemonic acrostic Never Eat Soggy Waffles to help your children remember which way is which.  Make up a map activity in which children look for places that are east of other places.

Songs and Stories
I’m sure you can think of additional songs and stories to accompany these few ideas, especially if you delve into the additional verses of “The First Noel.”  More could be done with shepherds and wise men.  Other song suggestions would be “Stars Were Gleaming” from the LDS Primary Songbook, and the traditional “We Three Kings.”  And even though we’re not sure the shepherds were aware of the new star, I recommend reading the tender story, “Anniversary” by Margaret E. Sangster, which can be found here:   http://hearth.library.cornell.edu/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=hearth;rgn=full text;idno=6417403_1405_006;view=image;seq=36  (follow the page skips), or as a booklet under the title “The Little Shepherd” with a forward by Don Black.

As always, personalize the lessons for your family.  If you have additional ideas or suggestions, I’d love to hear them.  I pray we all learn a little more and get a little closer to the Savior this Christmas season.

Additional sources:
Stories Behind the Best-Loved Songs of Christmas by Ace Collins
A Christmas Celebration in Song and Story by Al Remson
Come Let Us Adore Him – Stories Behind the Most Cherished Christmas Hymns by Robert J. Morgan

Reader’s Digest Merry Christmas Songbook

You can leave your thoughts, comments or suggestions here on my feedback page. Thanks!

- Sasha

The Christmas Countdown Paper Chain... ... a Favorite Writing Activity for the Holidays.

Make a paper chain with Christmas activities. Print one page on green paper and one on red!

 
Write down the names of Santa's reindeer.
 
Draw some Christmas ornaments, decorate them and hang them up.
 
Write a letter to Grandma and Grandpa.
 
Write down every Christmas thing in the living room that is the color red.
 
Make a Christmas card and send it.
 
Draw a picture of a favorite Christmas memory and then write about it.
 
Write down 4 of your favorite Christmas books then read one!
 
Write down a favorite Christmas tradition.
 
Create coupons to give away as a gift. Decorate them and put them in an envelope.

If you could travel anywhere for Christmas where would you go and who would you take?

Write down Merry Christmas in another language.

Make a list of your favorite Christmas decorations.

List seven Christmas movies.

Draw a gingerbread house with lots of candy...or make one out of paper. 
Ask your family to list their favorite Christmas smells. 

Design an advent calendar with the remaining days ‘til Christmas.  Take 2 pieces of paper... draw a picture and cut out doors on the first paper, then glue the 2nd sheet of paper on the back. Draw pictures behind the doors and add numbers.

Does your family sings songs at Christmas? Write down 5 Christmas carols.

Design a pair of holiday socks.  Write down where you would wear them.

Draw a picture of a big big box, and a little tiny box. Write about what present you would like to get that goes in each one.

Write down as many words from the letters in: Merry Christmas

If you worked in the zoo, how would you decorate the animal's cages for Christmas? Draw a picture.

If you could make a snow globe, what would you put inside?  Draw it!

What was the best present you ever received?  Tell the details.

Do you like to sit by the tree and look at the presents?  Where do you like to sit?

Do you count presents or arrange them in a certain way?

Write a list of Christmas and holiday people and items.  Write each down on a piece of paper.  Play charades or Pictionary Christmas with the characters.

Make a wreath using handprints in different colors.  Use different size hands!

Create a holiday scavenger hunt hiding clues in Christmas decorations.

Write down every Christmas thing in the living room that is the color green.

You can leave your thoughts, comments or suggestions here on my feedback page. Thanks!

- Kari

The Candy Cane Workshop!

One of the most fun things we do all year is the "Candy Cane Workshop". This is a one day get-together with kids to "shop and wrap gifts" for their families with Santa dollars that they earn by doing school work. The kids actually buy things for their parents (without their parents watching!). 

November and December seem to be months filled with holidays and weeks that are unconventional. To keep our school efforts going I came up with a fun approach to keep kids motivated.

The first year we did this, we involved five or six families...and it turned out terrific, we've tried to do it ever since.

Here's how you can join in on the fun:

1. Sit down and write out different "projects to earn Santa Dollars". I choose reading, writing, and history projects, but you can choose topics that fit your family. Write them up on a chart so kids can see exactly how to earn money (see a sample here).

2. Present Candy Cane Workshop project chart to kids. Go over each project and answer any questions.

3. Start collecting wrapping paper, tape, and used items. We ask around the neighborhood and friends, and any family that was involved.

4. Help kids to start working on projects. Help them keep track of projects they earn. *Kids are pretty quick to figure out how to earn the most dollars in the fewest/easiest ways. Encourage them to also work on harder projects.

On the day of the workshop:

I try to have older kids help with setting up, wrapping and clean up. If you have enough help, parents can go and enjoy an afternoon off. If not, have parents not be in the room when their child is shopping.

1. Set up the  "Candy Cane Gift Shop" with tables and all the gift items that you've collected. Price everything with stickers, make sure to have a dollar table for those small things. Have shopping baskets available.

2. Set up a "Wrapping Area" where kids will wrap all presents (with a little help from older kids) and label them. Have large bags for the kids to take their gifts home in.

3. When kids come to the Candy Cane Workshop, they must go to the "Candy Cane Bank" to show their list of completed projects and receive the money they have earned. The parents are the ones that checked off the list, the banker's job is just to give money (download play Christmas money here in $1, $5, $10, $20 and $50denominations. To print them out, set your printer to landscape mode.).

4. We give paper and pencil to each child and have them write down the people in their family. This helps them remember that they are shopping for others and not themselves.

5. Line up youngest to oldest. We split the group into 2 groups and let them shop at the "Candy Cane Gift Shop" for 10 minutes. Then, they pay the cashier for their purchases. They can get 2 items on this first shopping trip.

6. Let the older shoppers go shopping for 2 items.

7. Let the younger group shop again for 2 items.

8. Younger group goes to "Wrapping Area" and starts wrapping. Older group goes shopping.

More hints: After about 2 shopping trips we allow everyone to buy something for themselves. We also slash prices near the end of the day.

This is a great way to learn about shopping for others, money management, making change and learning to wrap presents.

It is a crazy day of fun and bustle without all the mall crowds. Everyone gets to clean out their "used treasures" and the kids get to shop for new (gently used) things.

On the following pages you will see the Candy Cane Workshop handouts for the year we studied The Middle Ages.  The kids went to work and did lots of projects to earn their Santa Dollars! It was great self-motivated learning! Kept the kids learning and Mom happy!

You can leave your thoughts, comments or suggestions here on my feedback page. Thanks!

- Kari

Free Days...

It used to be that when I would see one of those rare blank days on the calendar I would think, "Yahoo! Finally, a “free day”! I would be so excited to have a day to schedule play dates, catch up on errands, and get my visiting teaching done! But then my free day wasn't free anymore. It was one more day full of obligations and responsibilities. When my kids started to complain about our constant running around, I realized we were seriously over-scheduled. Now we have real free days. At least once a month we set aside a day that is completely free of all obligations. No schoolwork, no extra housework, no planned activities. I have to circle the day on my calendar at least two weeks in advance, and then we all have to jealously guard it to protect it from scheduling. It can be hard to tell friends and family that we aren't available that day, even though there is nothing on the calendar. However, we have decided to make this time a priority, and it is so worth it!

Every day last week my kids asked me how many days were left until free day. They were looking forward to it like a holiday! Recently, I realized how important this free time is to them.  Their best friends called to see if they could play on our scheduled free day. They all told me they’d rather wait and play another time—they wanted their free day!

I am a real planner so it makes me a little crazy to see that blank day looming, but we have made a rule that we can’t plan any activities before the morning of. This may seem a little excessive, but as soon as something is planned the freedom is lost. So we wait and anticipate our day off. When it dawns, it is wonderful to wake up and have nothing to do!

Last Friday for free day we headed to the library. When we came out it was sunny and warm. Knowing these beautiful autumn days are limited we decided to pick up some bread and fruit at a local produce stand and head to the park for a picnic. We had the whole place to ourselves and it was so peaceful! Later that afternoon, we decided we really better make the most of the weather, so we headed to the pumpkin patch. The boys had a great time with the pumpkin launch, we got lost for plenty long enough in the corn maze, and they all had a great time digging in the corn bin (kind of like a sand box only filled with corn kernels). It ended up being a pretty busy free day but it was a wonderful break from our regular routine.

The thing I love most about free days is the excitement of just seeing where the day will take us. One free day in the summer we decided to go berry picking. On the way we saw a garage sale sign, so we starting rambling through neighborhoods searching for good deals. We were having so much fun bargain hunting we decided to hit a few thrift stores too. Free days are an adventure just waiting to happen! They are a wonderful vacation and leave us feeling refreshed and far more capable of starting back into another crazy week!

You can leave your thoughts, comments or suggestions here on my feedback page. Thanks!

- Lisa

The Perfect Anywhere-School Tool

by Katrina Fujisaka

Originally published in October of 2007 in the Sentinel

The moniker 'Homeschooling' is a kind of misnomer for me. Actually-I think it is for most of us who have decided to tackle the task of educating our children. It evokes visions of well-groomed, cheerful children patiently sitting at a table, rapturously staring up at their mother, hanging on her every word. This Wonder Mom is dressed in a perfectly pressed outfit, with her hair, nails, and make-up beautifully done. She smiles serenely at her offspring, gently and patiently leading their little minds down the path to intellectual greatness, all while supper simmers away in the spotless kitchen. Yeah, whatever.

Those of us who are homeschoolers, though, know better. I am a blessed mom, and I know it! My kids are good kids and get their beds made and bodies dressed most days without trouble. The Hallelujah Chorus resounds if their hair is combed and their chores are done. And that is just for their appearance; I am often schooling them in my jammies until well into the afternoon. Jammies are comfy; why change? I do manage to get my hair brushed most days.

The biggest reason Homeschooling is a misnomer, though, is that we are rarely at home! We can most often be contacted on our cell phones while we are on field trips or driving to piano lessons, baseball practice, or church activities. Because our family moves so often, I have spent countless hours in cars, on trains, in airports, and on airplanes with my kids. And I have found the perfect school tool that every homeschool mom should keep in her purse for such travel/waiting occasions-sticky notes!

Oh, the versatile sticky note! You can teach a toddler letter recognition. Write a set of lower case letter sticky notes and a set of upper case letters and play matching games on the car window. Mix up letters to form words on the airplane tray table. Teach number recognition the same way. Write the numerals 1-10 on "stickies" and mix them up. Then your child can place them in order on the airport floor (or other passengers' luggage, as was our case).

Older children can play wacky sentence games. Write various nouns, verbs, pronouns, etc. on different "stickies;" then have your kids arrange them into sentences. Goofier is better, as long as the sentences are correctly structured. Sticky notes are not limited to English lessons. You can drill math facts with sticky notes, too. I have even used them to make a map of the United States on the floor: write the name of a state and place it in the correct position relative to the states around it. The resulting map is weird looking and very funny to a 10-year-old boy.

With a little bit of imagination, and a whole bunch of sticky notes, you can turn dead time into unique educational fun. And when you've finished using them, wad them all up and have a paper fight with them! (Although I would not recommend doing that in an airport-they tend to frown on that kind of behavior. But then, they don't like it when you race the luggage carts, either.)

You can leave your thoughts, comments or suggestions here on my feedback page. Thanks!

- Katrina

26.2 Miles

by Doreen Blanding

If you have studied Ancient History, in particular Greek History, you may have read about a Greek solider named Pheidippides.  Legend says that in late summer of 490 BC, Pheidippides was sent from the battlefield of Marathon to Athens to announce that the Persians had been defeated.  It is reported that he ran the entire distance without stopping and after delivering his message, he collapsed and died.  The distance from the battle field to Athens is 26.2 miles, the distance of today's modern marathon.

Road racing is gaining popularity of late with the American public.  Marathons are selling out and attracting large crowds of road racers. On any given weekend you can find a road race in your area and people running it from all walks of life and in every state of health.  Winners can cross the finish line as quickly as 2 hours 15 minutes (world record for men is 2:03:59; women 2:15:25) to 6 hours or the course limit. 

Recently I've picked up the running bug and have been training for my first marathon.  I already have my first road race under my belt. I ran the BMO Vancouver BC half marathon in May, 2010. I did pretty well considering all of the medical hurdles I was facing and that it was my first.  I am now training for my first full marathon in October, 2010; the Women's Nike in San Francisco. I've learned a lot about health, my body, and my spirit while training, but I've even learned more about homeschooling.

Training for a marathon is very similar to homeschooling.  In this two part article I will give you 26 ways homeschooling relates to a marathon.  Because I have already run 13.1 miles, I'll give you the first 13 reasons. When I finish my full marathon I'll give you the last 13 reasons.  They are in no particular order...

1. Hills

It is hard to escape hills if you are a runner.  If you live where I live you can't escape them at all.  My neighborhood is called English Hill for a reason.  I climb 414 feet in the first two miles from my front door on my daily run.  I can tell you with all honesty, there are days when I don't run all 414 feet; I have to walk some of the way.

There is a technique to running hills.  By shortening your stride as you go up you use your big thigh muscles to propel your body up the hill.  Mentally this also helps you because you keep your eyes about ten feet in front of you and you don't see how tall the hill is.  Relaxing your shoulders and letting your arms drive you up the hill also helps.  Your arm action actually propels the legs to turn over more quickly. 

When you come down the back side of the hill you have to be just as thoughtful in your technique as going up. If you aren't careful you can do some damage to your knees. Once again you shorten your stride and slow your arm swing down just a bit and let gravity assist you in coming down but you don't let it take over.  You also lean back so your center of gravity stays behind your hips so you are in control; not gravity. You also enjoy the moment of making it all the way to the top and "coasting" down the back side.

In educating our children we will face many hills. Some are huge and seem like they are impossible to climb.  Those are the ones where you need to shorten your stride, drive with the big muscles and only look ten feet ahead.  After all, you can always make it another ten feet.  Also, never be ashamed of walking the hills.  It is better to stop running and walk than to stop and quit because you went too far without a break.  Shorten the goal by dividing it up into easy segment, relax the pressure and before you know it you will be at the top going down the back side.

On the back side you need to remember that it isn't a race to the bottom. You need to keep that disciplined stride. This can be much like summer break, where things are forgotten, discipline goes out the window and it takes weeks to get back on track.  But do enjoy the break from the regular up hill fight.

2. Records

When I first started running a friend of mine told me to keep good records of my time, distance, route and general well being.  I thought she was joking, but I followed her advice and I am so glad.  When I felt like I wasn't making any progress, I noticed that I ran more than I walked. I noticed that my distance was increasing and I was accomplishing it in less time.  I noticed that my aches and pains were diminishing and that I was actually looking forward to my runs.

While teaching my children, I have kept loose records. One reason is because the state I live in requires it, but more importantly I love to see the progress of my children.  I can see where I need to tweak a curriculum to better fit one child's needs. I see when I need to push a child a bit more because it was too easy. I see where the holes are in another child's education and can design a program to better suit his learning style.  Since I have been homeschooling for 15 plus years, I can revisit something that we did with the older children and bring it back out for the younger ones.  I know that it has been so many years since we studied whatever it might be and the younger ones didn't get a chance to discover that topic.  Because I kept records and notes, I usually don't have to reinvent the wheel, I have all my stuff and I just need to present it to the children again.

3. Rest Days

In any good training program there should be rest days: days you don't run or do other types of physical training.  These days are important so that your muscles have a change to heal and relax.  The Lord even put in a rest day for us.  It is important to relax, recuperate and enjoy. 

It is also important to give our families rest days.  Taking a day off from schooling won't kill the kids and will usually give everyone a huge boost.  Our family has movie days, museum days and park days.  Yes, sometimes the movies or museums are connected to what we are studying, but sometimes they are just fun to visit without the pressure of learning something.  It is amazing to me how much our children learn when there is no pressure on them to learn.  We love rest days and I wish I could do one every week, but once every two weeks is about what we average.  Maybe this coming year we will take one day a week and rest; our mental muscles may thank us and actually do better come race day.

4. Walk/Run

When I first took up running I couldn't put a solid 30 minute run together without walking.  There is a running program out there that uses the walk/run method.  The idea is to walk four minutes and run for one minute until you can walk three minutes and run two and continue until you are running for the full five minutes.  From there you increase the amount of time you are running until you are running the full 30 minutes. Then you increase your time until you hit your goal.  The ideas is that walking isn't bad when you are out for a run.

When we homeschool we need to remember that slowing down to catch our breath or to really stop and understand a concept isn't bad. In fact many of us list "going at our child's pace" as one of the reasons we picked homeschooling as our method of education.  There have been times when a certain child needed to slow down just a bit to grasp a concept but as soon as the concept was grasped, his pace would pick up. It was amazing how much farther he can go when we take a break from running through math and instead walk for a few minutes. 

Looking back at your time in school (probably in the public school system) I bet your favorite part of school was recess.  I know it was mine (although reading hour was a close second). Why is recess such a favorite part of schooling? Because it was fun and the pressure of learning was off.  Our children need rest time from learning.  Their brains need a moment to relax and a chance to stop working so hard.  I know taking breaks in the middle of the school day is hard when you school at home. There are so many distractions for mom and kids which prevent us from getting back to schooling.  But it is important to give ourselves and our children a moment to catch our breath and let our mental muscles relax.  

5. Drink & Eat

I love water. It is my choice of drink most any time of day or year. When you are out for a run you lose a lot of water and electrolytes. If your run is longer than 40 minutes you need to have some way of drinking some water or your body starts to fall apart.  I've learned about dehydration the hard way. I never want to see another person put on a stretcher because they didn't drink water when they needed to.  I carry water with me when I run and on long runs (90 minutes or more) I make sure that I can run past a water fountain or have some water stashed out on the trail.  It is that important.

The same goes for fuel. It doesn't take long for the body to use up all the energy stored in the muscles.  In fact, for a big race we start the week before really watching what type of food we eat so we have enough fuel to finish a five hour run. Yes, that is extreme, but it is important if we want to finish the race.  During the race it is just as important as it was the week before. You need some quick energy when your legs are burning muscle tissue.  Jelly beans, gummy bears or specially designed quick energy foods are a necessity out on the road. 

When we are homeschooling our children it is sometimes easy to forget to fuel them properly. I found that out the hard way when one of my kids quit mid day because he was hungry.  I know I can go longer without breaks and I hate to break up my school day. Restarting is so hard.  I remember my favorite part of kindergarten was the snack (Graham crackers and milk).  In our house, we like to take a mid morning break to get a quick snack and to stretch our muscles.  It makes the rest of the morning go smoother and pushes the full lunch break from 10:30 to noon.  That leaves more time for studying and fun.

6. Equipment

There is a saying among serious runners:  "Pay for it at the shoe store or you will pay for it at the orthopedic surgeon's." In the past year I have purchased three pairs of running shoes. I don’t think I have ever bought that many shoes in one year, for one purpose, for myself. In fact, I hate shoe shopping.  But the saying is true.  My first pair lasted just over 400 miles and then they started breaking down. I knew they were breaking down because my knee started to hurt. I didn't just go to my local discount store to buy my shoes, I went to a running store. I asked my running buddies what type of shoes they liked. I had my foot, stride and gait check out by a professional runner. I did my homework so I could have the best fitting shoe for me. It is that important.

Having the right curriculum for your child is very important.  You need to do your homework and find what works for your child.  You may end up with different curriculum for different children.  Each child is unique, just like each runner is unique.  In my state there is a yearly curriculum fair for homeschoolers to look at and buy from hundreds of vendors.  When I first started homeschooling there were a handful of vendors and most of them were just repackaging public school curriculums for homeschoolers.  It now seems as if the world is our oyster and we can pick and choose from the very best.  When choosing your family's curricula, do your homework, ask your friends, get opinions, ask to look it over and don't ever think that you are stuck with your choice.  I've switched between curriculum mid year and you can too.

7. Mailboxes

I love mailboxes! I can always run to the next mailbox.  I can take a walk break when I get there.  In fact, when I run the river trail where there are no mailboxes I have to look for shadows on the trail or a special tree.  When the going gets tough and I don't think I can take another step, I can always make it to another mailbox.  But before I slow down and walk, I pick out the spot where I have to start running again.  This has enabled me to finish some extremely long runs.

If you haven't had one of these days, you will. Some day you will have a day that seems like it will never end.  These are the days you pick out a short goal to accomplish and when that has been accomplished, you set another one.  I remember one day when one of my sons just had the toughest time finishing his math homework.  We set the kitchen timer and worked for fifteen minutes and then took a five minute break.  What was amazing that day was to see how many more problems he got done in the third fifteen minute time period compared with the first.  We did the same thing the next day and again the next day.  We went from six fifteen minute periods to one twenty minute period in a month.  He gained more confidence when he broke it up into smaller chunks and saw how much he was accomplishing with those chunks.  Of course, the key is to set the timer for the five minute breaks and come back to work until the assignment is finished.  You don't have to use time, you can use a set number of problems or pages.  Let your child help you come up with a suitable goal.

8. Goals

When I first starting running I didn't have a goal. I wasn't in it to lose weight, although that was a great bonus. I was in it because it was the only way I could naturally relieve the pain caused by an undiagnosed tumor.  When the tumor was diagnosed, treated and subsequently shrunk, I didn't have a reason to run anymore.  I liked the fact that my jeans were looser and I loved the runner's high I experienced, but I knew that the cold wet weather of the northwest would keep me indoors during the winter if I didn't have a reason to lace up my shoes.  So I picked a cause: Team in Training, an organization dedicated to raising money for cancer research; and a goal: a half marathon. That kept me moving.  From there I was able to set both short and long term goals.

Homeschoolers need goals to.  Our goals could be getting a child through a rough year in public school or taking them all the way from pre-school to college.  I know our homeschooling goals change year to year and we take it one step at a time, but we do have a big picture goal in mind while we set littler goals to accomplish the big picture.  I do better when I write my goals down, even if I'm the only one who will read them.  I also know that when a goal touches other people's lives it is important to include them in making short term goals that will help in accomplishing the big goal.  It is from these goals that our family comes up with our curriculum as well as some great family adventures.  As someone once said, "If you fail to plan then you plan to fail."

9. Friends

Running can be a very lonely way to exercise so running with a partner is much more fun. It makes the hours go by more quickly and it also helps you keep a steady pace.  I belong to a running team that has practices three times a week. Being a very busy mom makes it difficult for me to attend every practice, but when I'm able to attend, my runs go much better and it seems to carry over into my solo runs.  I also have made friendships that will last a lifetime with people who wouldn't normally be part of my circle of friends. These friends can help solve problems, give advice, motivate me and encourage me when the road get tough and it seems impossible to go 26.2 miles.

Homeschooling can also be very lonely.  You may be the only one in your family, your ward, your neighborhood or your town who homeschools.  Finding a group of like-minded families can be a lifeline.  The couple of groups I belong to are just what I need. They fill a hole that couldn't be filled by the other social circles in my life.  They understand me and they are there to support me.  We get together for hikes, play groups, science fairs, co-op classes, mom's nights and teen groups.  We have so much more fun together. We are able to support each other, give each other confidence, bounce ideas off of one another and share concerns.  Homeschooling is better with friends.

10. Pushing Yourself

On one of my runs each week I try to push myself just a bit more than the week before.  There is always something that you can improve on: time, distance, hills, feet turnover, arm movement or even enjoyment.  Pushing myself helps me improve each week. 

Sometimes we need to push ourselves in our teaching.  I was very content to sit back and teach fourth grade math year after year.  With six kids, for quite a few years that was exactly what I was doing.  Then all of a sudden I didn't have anyone in fourth grade math anymore.  I had to push myself.  I found myself in some unfamiliar territory and I had to increase my knowledge. 

11. Have fun

There is no point in going running if it isn't fun.  I don't know why it took me so long to find out that I like running.  There is something about being in the fresh air, wind blowing through my hair, sun on my face or even the rain drops running down my cheeks, that is fun.  It isn't for everyone, but for me there is a lot of personal enjoyment in running. I've had to run through a very difficult year while going through cancer treatments, but it has been my little retreat from the pressures of the world.  I really enjoy it.

Homeschooling should be fun.  I know when I stop having fun teaching my children it is time to step back and examine why we aren't having fun.  As I look back on the past 15 years of homeschooling, I see the many fun adventures that our family has taken.  We have gone on field trips (some quite extensive) and also done some incredibly fun things at our house.  We have built a teepee, dropped eggs from a second story deck, flown an airplane, traveled the Lewis and Clark Trail, hunted in tide pools, painted fences, dissected frogs (OK, so that wasn't so much fun for me, but my kids loved it), and planted a garden, just to name a few.  I know my kids like schooling better when it is fun. They learn more and I enjoy the experience as well.  I know if it was boring I would have given up long ago and let someone else have all the fun.

12. Chafing

There is no way you can go on a long run without something irritating you.  Something is going to rub against something and you will develop a sore or blister.  There is stuff that you can do to prevent chafing, blisters and irritants.  Using the proper equipment is first and foremost on any runner's list of ways to prevent irritants.  If there is no way to prevent them, then there are ointments and tapes that can help reduce them.

There is no way you can get through a year of homeschooling and not be irritated by something or someone.  Sometimes the fix is as easy as switching curricula.  Sometimes you need to change environments, the time of day, or maybe it is even something physical or medical.  Once you have figured out how to reduce or eliminate the irritant, you are on your way to a great year in homeschooling. 

13. Setbacks

This past year has been plagued with setbacks.  I've had to stop for vacations, chemotherapy and other family emergencies.  These are part of life, but we always pick up where we stopped and move forward with training.  It is when we give up that we lose all that we have gained.  This past summer I had to slow down my training in a major way while I went through 14 weeks of chemotherapy.  I didn't stop training. I just slowed down.  Some weeks I was only able to get in one 30 minute run and others I could get three 30 minute runs in.  When my health returned I picked up my training schedule where I left off and continued training for my marathon.

I don’t know of a homeschooling family who hasn't had to deal with setbacks at least once during the year.  Sometimes it is a baby, or an illness or a family emergency.  It could be for any reason.  Sometimes  all we accomplish for that day of schooling is reading out loud to our children from the scriptures or a story book.  I know that as I have battled illness for the past year our schooling has been a bit hit and miss, but we've hit more than we've missed.  Looking back over the year, we didn't accomplish all that I set out to learn and do for the year, but we sure did cover a lot and most of it was a bit different than what I had planned.  We were originally planning to do a botany unit, but after I was diagnosed, I learned that the dirt could have given me an infection because of my compromised immune system. So instead we studied weather.  Instead of giving up, our family did what we could. We read a complete nine volume historical fiction series, watched many documentaries, did our math and wrote a little and learned a lot about service and healing.  When my children were tested at the end of the year (per state requirement) they didn't test poorly, in fact they were where they should be and my second child was able to pass the entrance exams to our local community college with room to spare. 

Unlike Pheidippides, I am training for my marathon. Because of that training, I will survive running 26.2 miles.  Some days out on the trail or road, I ask myself, "What am I doing?" Then I remember what I'm doing: I'm improving my health, raising money for cancer and enjoying the journey.  Homeschooling is just like training for a marathon. There are days when I ask, "What am I doing?" Then I remember: I'm training my children to be productive citizens, happy people, and educated young men and women.

In part two, I'll present thirteen more things I've learned about homeschooling while running around my neighborhood.

You can leave your thoughts, comments or suggestions here on my feedback page. Thanks!

- Doreen

The Perfect Anywhere-School Tool

by Katrina Fujisaka

Originally published in October of 2007 in the Sentinel

The moniker 'Homeschooling' is a kind of misnomer for me. Actually-I think it is for most of us who have decided to tackle the task of educating our children. It evokes visions of well-groomed, cheerful children patiently sitting at a table, rapturously staring up at their mother, hanging on her every word. This Wonder Mom is dressed in a perfectly pressed outfit, with her hair, nails, and make-up beautifully done. She smiles serenely at her offspring, gently and patiently leading their little minds down the path to intellectual greatness, all while supper simmers away in the spotless kitchen. Yeah, whatever.

Those of us who are homeschoolers, though, know better. I am a blessed mom, and I know it! My kids are good kids and get their beds made and bodies dressed most days without trouble. The Hallelujah Chorus resounds if their hair is combed and their chores are done. And that is just for their appearance; I am often schooling them in my jammies until well into the afternoon. Jammies are comfy; why change? I do manage to get my hair brushed most days.

The biggest reason Homeschooling is a misnomer, though, is that we are rarely at home! We can most often be contacted on our cell phones while we are on field trips or driving to piano lessons, baseball practice, or church activities. Because our family moves so often, I have spent countless hours in cars, on trains, in airports, and on airplanes with my kids. And I have found the perfect school tool that every homeschool mom should keep in her purse for such travel/waiting occasions-sticky notes!

Oh, the versatile sticky note! You can teach a toddler letter recognition. Write a set of lower case letter sticky notes and a set of upper case letters and play matching games on the car window. Mix up letters to form words on the airplane tray table. Teach number recognition the same way. Write the numerals 1-10 on "stickies" and mix them up. Then your child can place them in order on the airport floor (or other passengers' luggage, as was our case).

Older children can play wacky sentence games. Write various nouns, verbs, pronouns, etc. on different "stickies;" then have your kids arrange them into sentences. Goofier is better, as long as the sentences are correctly structured. Sticky notes are not limited to English lessons. You can drill math facts with sticky notes, too. I have even used them to make a map of the United States on the floor: write the name of a state and place it in the correct position relative to the states around it. The resulting map is weird looking and very funny to a 10-year-old boy.

With a little bit of imagination, and a whole bunch of sticky notes, you can turn dead time into unique educational fun. And when you've finished using them, wad them all up and have a paper fight with them! (Although I would not recommend doing that in an airport-they tend to frown on that kind of behavior. But then, they don't like it when you race the luggage carts, either.)

You can leave your thoughts, comments or suggestions here on my feedback page. Thanks!

- Katrina