Pour it Out

By: Tammy Ward

     Having a hard time as a homeschool mama?  You've already received revelation on the matter.  You know it is what you are supposed to do.  Yet, you are still having a tough go of it.  I get it.  Have you ever had one of those days, weeks, months or seasons when you felt like you could not possibly continue on?  If not, let me tell ya, it's not a lot of fun.  I have had some doozies, believe me.  Here are some "go to's" that have helped me for all you mamas who are seeking to be Christ centered and to find relief in the midst of homeschooling trials.  

Pour it out.

That's right.

Pour it out.

     Go somewhere semi-quiet and private.  Fall down on your knees and give it all to Him.  I am not going to pretend that I understand all the workings of the Atonement. But, I DO know it covers so much more than sin.  It is incomprehensible to me that Jesus Christ, who lived so long ago could understand what me, a mother living in the last days could possibly be going through.  Yet, I testify to you that He does understand.  It goes far deeper than that, my friends.  He doesn't just understand; he has already taken those burdens upon Him and paid the price for them.  ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS GIVE THEM TO HIM.  He is just waiting for you to ask.

     Remember the picture with Christ standing at the door with no door knob?  That is such a powerful visual for me.  It is TRUTH.  Ask Him for help and He will help you.  He will and I know He will because He has done that for me time and time again.  

     Take about an hour once a month and make a list of the continued and/or additional reasons why you are homeschooling.  As your list lengthens, your resolve strengthens. The basics will come to you in the first 30 minutes but the real heart tugs will appear after that.  Include everything!  You will be surprised at how much this list, reflected upon during trying times, can help you.  

Powerful Truths That Have Helped Me Along My Path:

      I am a cherished, beloved daughter of the Most High God.  He knows who I am and He loves me, regardless of what I have done or what has been done to me.  He has a very important work for me to do.  He trusts me, ME!  I am worthy of God's love and I'm able to receive God's love.  I know without a shadow of doubt that my ancestors are watching over me, waiting for the opportunity to help.  God hears every prayer, knows every thought and understands the deepest desires of my heart.  The following quote is taken from lds.org, I feel prompted to share it here with you.

"Revelation is communication from God to His children.  This guidance comes through various channels according to the needs and circumstances of individuals, families, and the Church as a whole .... According to our faithfulness, we can receive revelation to help us with our specific personal needs, responsibilities, and questions and to help us strengthen our testimony. The scriptures tell of different types of revelation, such as visions, dreams, and visitations by angels. Through such channels, the Lord has restored His gospel in the latter days and revealed many truths. However, most revelations to leaders and members of the Church come through the whisperings of the Holy Ghost. Quiet spiritual promptings may not seem as spectacular as visions or angelic visitations, but they are just as powerful and lasting and life changing. The witness of the Holy Ghost makes an impression on the soul that is more significant than anything we can see or hear. Through such revelations, we will receive lasting strength to stay true to the gospel and help others do the same.

     The following counsel will help us prepare to receive promptings from the Holy Ghost: Pray for guidance. The Lord said, 'Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: for every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened' (Matthew 7:7-8).  In order to find and receive, we must seek and ask." 

     One of the best tips I've ever been given is when you are waking up in the morning to begin with a prayer and ask specifically for:

• a)  Protection from the adversary.  We are in a literal spiritual war.  Why not ask for protection, EVERY DAY?  
• b)  Revelation for each child that day. Take a notebook and a pencil and as you go through each child's name, write down promptings as they come to you.  It could be something as simple as an extra hug, a note, that they need more physical exercise, a friend, etc.

      I am feeling so blessed for Heavenly Father's blessings of trials.  There is opposition in all things.  My faith is strengthened, my bond with Him even closer, my desire to serve Him magnified.  It is amazing to me that He loves me, even me.  I testify He loves you, even you.  His extraordinary love for us does not change because of what we have done or what has been done to us.  He loves us all, every one.

     Tammy Ward is the organizer for the Winter Homeschool Conference in Ogden, UT in January.  She also hosts the Future Mother's Camp, a camp for homeschooling girls each June.  Some of her other favorite events are the MDR, Mother Daughter Retreat as well as many other events.  Check out her most recent event, Energy Healing Conference. 

     She enjoys staying home with her (almost 8) children that range from 15 on down.  She loves helping support all homeschooling parents everywhere.  Feel free to "friend" her on FB at 'TammynCasey Ward' where she frequently offers tips and support for homeschooling.

Slowing Down

                 As we became a homeschooling family we dove headfirst and completely submerged ourselves in our new lifestyle.  We joined all kinds of groups and signed up for extracurricular activities.  I didn’t want my children to miss the social aspects of public school or be left out of opportunities to develop their talents.  We soon found ourselves involved in dance lessons, play groups, book club, science classes, art classes, sports teams, guitar lessons, and the like.  Just typing this list makes my head spin.  Somehow we managed to keep our heads just above water.

                 One night my husband made a startling comment as we sat down to family dinner, “This is a novelty,” he remarked.  I quickly realized that he was right.  Family dinners had become few and far between, family home evening was even going by the wayside as I made justifications that we were getting plenty of family time, after all, we homeschool!  Our weekends were filled with all kinds of activities and I was really starting to wear out. 

                My littlest kids were spending hours in the car each week as we sat in traffic to drop kids of at their “enriching” activities.  After the third or fourth week in a row of relentless activity I had finally had enough.  I now longer cared about looking like a flake or a quitter.  I started weeding things out left and right to clear some space into our schedule.  One by one I cancelled activities and I began to feel lighter.  That next week, I had carved four free days into our schedule. 

              Suddenly, we had the gift of time!  I made a point to have family dinner.  I read an article posted recently on The Sentinel about making family home evening a priority.  We held family home evening that week.  Guess what?  I was starting to find my center.  I was amazed at how many enriching activities we could actually do at home when we were not sitting in traffic trying to get from one activity to another.  I can’t believe I was almost robbed of one of the most precious gifts of homeschooling, simplicity. 

                The adversary wants us to be completely distracted.  He wants us to be rushing from one activity to another so that we cannot hear the one resounding truth that we are enough.   Our young children especially need their Mothers and they need family time at home to learn and to play and explore.  Our children need us to really SEE and HEAR them.  While I believe that it is important for kids to be involved in extracurricular activities so that they can socialize and develop their talents, these activities cannot replace that crucial time spent in the home.  As homeschoolers, we are blessed to create our own schedules and choose our priorities for the most part.  I am grateful for the wise counsel of former General Relief Society President, Julie B. Beck in the following quote:

Mothers Who Know Do Less

                "Mothers who know do less. They permit less of what will not bear good fruit eternally. They allow less media in their homes, less distraction, less activity that draws their children away from their home. Mothers who know are willing to live on less and consume less of the world’s goods in order to spend more time with their children—more time eating together, more time working together, more time reading together, more time talking, laughing, singing, and exemplifying. These mothers choose carefully and do not try to choose it all. Their goal is to prepare a rising generation of children who will take the gospel of Jesus Christ into the entire world. Their goal is to prepare future fathers and mothers who will be builders of the Lord’s kingdom for the next 50 years. That is influence; that is power."

                  I hope to be able to guard and protect our most precious commodity – time.  I hope to have the discipline to choose only the best things and the confidence that I am making the right decision not to choose it all.   

The Parable of the Empty Harvest

Editors Note:  We are so excited to have Donna Goff join our writers!  She is a wealth of knowledge and experience.  You can find her at Moor House Academy and Royal Academy.  

There once was a farmer that lived on the outer edge of a small city. Each summer, he would plant his fields in corn. The people in the city loved his corn. His acreage was quite large. It was too difficult to grow many different types of crops. So, he chose to specialize in growing corn. He had to use large farm machinery and a commercial irrigation system to get all of the work done. He built a large barn to store his machinery in. His farm was efficient. He always had a good crop for the summer farmer's market in the city.

To the west of this farm was a small neighborhood. A certain man from that neighborhood was out for a walk one day. He viewed the beautiful corn plants, in nicely spaced rows. This man decided right then and there, that he would start a garden. Inspired by the lovely corn fields, this man went off to the city to purchase all of the needed supplies and equipment. He went to a hardware store and purchased small scale farm equipment to set up a small corn farm in his back yard. Then he went to a plant nursery and bought a bag of the same kind of corn seed and chemicals that the farmer used. The man went home and got to work. First, he tore out the velvety green lawn in his back yard and tilled the earth. He installed an automatic water irrigation system, and set it on a timer. He planted his corn and felt very happy. He could almost taste the corn! He was now a "new gardener."

This "new gardener" took another walk on one of those fine sunny days, which so often graced his community.

He walked pass his neighbor to the south. The neighbor's gate was open and his neighbor waved to him, and bid him to come. When he got to his neighbor's back yard, he saw the most colorful and bountiful garden he had ever seen. It was not planted in rows. Instead, it was planted in neat little square-foot garden of grow boxes. The neighbor had 64 corn plants growing in a 4 x 4 foot square. They were a short season corn that produced two ears of corn per stalk. The neighbor had a salad garden, lined and intermingled with flowers and herbs. The neighbor had a canning garden, with trellised tomatoes, beans, cucumbers, and colorful peppers. This neighbor's bountiful garden was beginning to come into harvest. This was the garden that fed his neighbor's small family, quite well. They had no expensive equipment. They hand watered from five gallon buckets that they had let sit out all day, so they would not shock the plants with either chlorine or cold water. There were not that many weeds, because the square foot gardener had made his own soil. The few weeds that did grow were almost effortlessly snipped of with scissors. They composted and rebuilt the soil. Now this made our "new gardener" excited. The "new gardener" went home and yanked up his all of his corn plants, then put his tools and sprinkler system in the shed. He then went out to purchase all he needed to set up a square foot system in his back yard. The "new gardener" came home, built the grow boxes, and then planted his seeds. The "new gardener" was proud of all the pretty boxes.

In July, the "new gardener" took another walk. He saw that the farmer had lovely knee high corn. The "new gardener" went walking through his neighborhood. The "new gardener" was weary. When he had looked at his neighbor's square foot garden; it looked so beautiful and easy. His plants did not look as good as his neighbor to the south. His neighbor and his wife to the south had two children and managed their garden without much effort. The "new gardener" and his wife had seven children. He had planted more grow boxes than his neighbor to the south to provide for his larger family. The hand watering was hard to keep up on, and the clipping of weeds from stray weeds, had fallen behind. 

Then the "new gardener" walked by his neighbor to the north. The neighbor to the north had a medium size family. So, the "new gardener" peeked over the fence.

There was a greenhouse in his back yard! This neighbor to the north used a hydroponics system. No weeds! Food year around! The "new gardener" knew that this was the answer. He ran home full of hope. Yes, you guessed it! He pulled out his entire square foot system; plants and all! He put all of the parts in the shed. He went into town and purchased a large green house. He went to the hardware store and bought more tools. He went to the garden shop and bought liquid plant food and seeds. He went home and set the whole operation into action. Boy, was it impressive! He was joyful and full of hopeful anticipation.

In August the "new gardener" took another walk. Oh my! The farmer to the east had harvested his corn and took it to market. The square foot gardener was getting his third crop in. His greenhouse neighbor had a lush garden. The "new gardener" was tired.

The greenhouse had proven to be too much work, as well; measuring nutrients, watching the temperature, opening and closing vents. What was our "new gardener" to do? He then noticed his neighbor to the west. That neighbor had a huge family and a wonderful garden. 

The neighbor to the west had long raised beds, covered with fabric mulch to keep the weeds away, and a drip irrigation system. He fed his plants colloidal minerals in a water solution. These in deed were healthy plants. The "new gardener" thought," no weeds, large plants, no watering hassles (it is on a timer), almost no work!" "This has got to be the best system ever devised!" he thought. So, home he went. Down came the greenhouse. The shed was full, so he stacked everything outside. Out came all of the plants too. Back into town he went. Home he came with everything he needed. He worked long and hard. Finally, everything was planted. He could rest now. The plants would practically grow themselves.

Harvest time came, but not for our "new gardener." While his neighbors all picked a method and worked it with consistency, our "new gardener" had been unwise. Ever looking for something better, he was always changing to a better method. The winter came and he had nothing to harvest. His shed was full of partially used equipment. His plants were too young to harvest. He had spent all his time, money and energy trying to have the best garden. To make matters worse, he was impatient and had tried to rush things. He poured a whole season's worth of fertilizer on the garden one day. He did not have time to get the water going. So, he decided he would work out that automatic system on Saturday. He could flood it then, to make up with the lack of watering. After all, it worked in the orient for their rice paddies. Well, he burned the crop and then drowned it. He was left with an empty harvest; and he was sad.

Are we like this unwise gardener?

Everyone can see how foolish the "new gardener" was. Each system he tried would have worked had he stayed with it. All would have yielded a harvest. Perhaps some harvests would have been better than others; but they all would have had a harvest. 

The farmer represents mass schooling systems. To teach enormous groups of children they use a one size fits all education. Many home school families following this model have actually had better success then the schools themselves do.

The square foot gardener represents the Classics Mentorial Approach or Leadership Education. The harvest from this method is very fine. This approach can be used even with larger families. It takes time and dedication to implement.

The greenhouse was the private schools.  This also yields a fine harvest.

The raised bed gardener represented a living education like Charlotte Mason. Again, like the other methods it too yields a harvest.

Many of us jump from method to method. We have accumulated rooms of "buyer’s remorse." We could free ourselves from guilt and sell it all on the internet :) 'Big doors swing on small hinges.'Consistently applied effort in any of these methods will bring a glad harvest. We need to take stock. We need to weigh out the options; then choose wisely the materials and methods to use. The Charlotte Mason method helps you eat the elephant on bite at a time, as I also feel Leadership Education does. They both can cover the typical school subjects and more, and in the way children naturally learn. Both can be taught one-on-one, or in a group.  I find that they can both be used together, or rather that Charlotte Mason ideas can be used in a Leadership Education context. I find this very freeing. 

You need to choose what system works best with you and your family, and then consistently do it. There is a tendency for some people to not stay long enough with the model they have chosen and may not do the needed study to fully implement the model. This may be because the model requires more effort to fully understand, and that one may have unrealistic expectations. We also have got to stop this perfectionistic craziness of always looking for the best curriculum. I understand we want the best we can provide for our children. Perfect curriculum does not exist. Educational theories are in constant change. We need to see that we will never harvest, if we cannot consistently apply anything. We need the discipline of habit and patience or the ability to delay gratification.

Nature walk and Wild Day Time (science)! Story Time (literature and character development)! Crazy Day Time (Field trips and inspiration)! Do school each day. The sanity you save may be your own. Do not try to catch up. Catch up to what? Learning is a continuum. Trying to cram learning will only drown and burnout your tender children. Just place one foot in front of the other and keep, consistently moving forward.

Remember that the tortoise learned that slow and steady wins the race. If you keep moving in the right direction it is amazing what little bites here and little bites there will accomplish. Those little bites add up and the sum total can be more than you can imagine.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

This is the first book we have read where I actually had the blog in mind as I read it. If you have not read Willy Wonka in class you are in luck. If you have, you may just want to read it again after this post. Yes, it's just that good. 

     Let me start by saying that I did not do every single thing on this list and I don't expect you to do so either. We all come with different talents and different interest so with that in mind, choose what would suite your family the best.  

    While reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory I thought of activities for several of the chapters that you can choose from. As you read the book, you will see how they fit with the story. I'm telling you this list is amazing! No modesty here ;-). I wish there were a website made of just these lists. Here is the incredible list so that you can also dream of such a website:

Ch. 1: Volunteer at a food bank or shelter, donate food (sometimes they have collection boxes at the doors of grocery stores), make up food bags for the less fortunate and (with parents permission) give them out to homeless on the corners or buy a few $5 gift cards for fast food to keep in the car to hand out. This is a great opportunity to give a pass along card, by the way. Or, Option B: really sacrifice and make/eat cabbage soup for lunch! ;-)

Ch. 2 & 3: Design your own Chocolate Factory! Use food, play dough, legos---get creative! Make it 3D!

Ch. 4: I looked in 3 stores to try to find a chocolate bar that you actually unwrap with paper but couldn't find one. I wanted J to open a golden ticket but that just didn't happen. So instead....Option B: design and make your own chocolate bar yourself! What would you put in it? My mouth waters just thinking of it!

Ch. 6 & 8: Act out the kids as the tickets are discovered. I loved acting like Veruca---I mean J loved acting like Veruca. I'm a respectable... ok, ok, it was me. I pretended to be Veruca- happy now? And it was fun, too!

Ch. 10: Go for a walk and look for money on the ground. It's a long shot but you never know. Plus, exercise is good for the soul. 

Ch. 11: Make your own golden ticket. There may even be a template already out there. Use a JoAnns or Hobby Lobby coupon and buy gold scrapbook paper. I would think 1 sheet could make 6 tickets and each sheet is about $.60 regularly. Print off the tickets your kids design. If they are too young to use a computer, use a Sharpie and watch them closely. 

Ch. 14: Have kids practice their 'mental imaging' by first picturing then drawing Willy Wonka based on the description in the book. Hint: He doesn't look exactly the same as he does in the movie so the kids need to pay close attention. Side note: The Oompas look VERY different in the book than in the movie. It might be fun to look up images of the movie to compare. 

Ch. 15: Drink some chocolate milk or hot cocoa together while reading this chapter. This sounds like a journal prompt to me: What would you do if you had a chocolate waterfall in your home?

Ch. 16: Dress up like the Oompa Loompas. The one in the movie would be more fun in my opinion. 

Ch. 17: Make some fudge. Option B: Make up a song or two- like the Oompas do! This would be a great keepsake if written down.

Ch. 18: Design your own boat. Make it out of anything. For some reason a bar of soap comes to my mind. How about butter or mashed potatoes? Think about it, "What did you do in school today?" "I made a boat out of mash potatoes." COOLEST. TEACHER. EVER.

Ch. 19: DIY Gobstoppers. In the book they are described as green marbles- more like the ones sold in stores now. The ones in the movie were way cooler to make (that's my library # taped to the top of my computer): 

This might be a fun time to explore the candy isle {only} searching for Willy Wonka Candy. There isn't much in comparison. 

Ch. 20: We made pretend flavors of gum with playdough such as yellow with blue stripes or pink with red dots. Have you ever made snozzberry flavored gum? By the way, I bought a pack of 6 or 8 colors of playdough at the Dollar Tree. It was much cheaper then trying real flavors (and our teeth thanked us).

Ch. 21: Eat some blueberries while reading.

Ch. 22: DIY lick-able wallpaper, fuzzy juice (Aka rootbeer floats), or marshmallow pillows. Here is a recipe link.

Ch. 24: Eat some nuts while reading. Confused? In the book Veruca is a bad nut- not a bad egg. Personally, I think she was the worst kid and she got off the easiest. 

Ch. 25: Design a glass elevator. I'll admit, I don't know how I would do this so please if you do send me pictures! Go ride in a glass elevator if you know where one is located. Look up google or pinterest images of glass elevators. They are beautiful! 

Ch. 26: Make dark glasses. Let's cheat with this one and use the same idea from the Wizard of Oz. 

Ch. 29: Draw before and after pictures of the kids who visited the factory and compare. In the book you get to see them come out of the factory.

     I truly hope that this post (and perhaps my past post) have opened your eyes to how simple and fun hands on learning can be. If you try these things at home while reading Willy Wonka I really would love to hear from you in the comments below. If you have more ideas to add to this list- I'd love to hear them, too. Remember that you can look up images of the movie or watch clips on youtube throughout. There are also some great quotes and useless facts about the movie you can find. We watched the movie first and I often spotted exact lines from the book used in the movie.   Have fun!

Zone Cleaning - Your New Best Friend

     When my children were younger, I dreamed of a time when I would have the entire day to clean and organize my home while the kids were at school.  I would have quiet time to update our family calendar, fold laundry, make doctor appointments, pay bills, file paperwork, organize and clean out drawers, etc.  The kids would come home to freshly baked cookies and a meticulously tidy home.  The meal that I had ample time to prepare earlier that day would be baking in the oven as we enjoyed the afternoon together.  

     When we made the decision to homeschool the kids, I had to readjust my vision of what our "school days" would look like.  I quickly realized that home management must be a family affair. If we were ever going to maintain any semblance of order, we were going to have to work together!  

     The problem was that getting my kids to work together was sometimes more difficult than doing it myself!  Have you ever heard the following phrases?  "That's not my mess!"  "I didn't do it!"  "He/She put that in my room!"  "That's not fair!"  It was enough to make me crazy.  I felt defeated before I even began most days.  

     Fortunately for me, my husband, an entrepreneur and small business owner, has written the book on delegation and management.  He came up with a system that has worked wonders in our home and saved me from many a nervous breakdown.

The solution:

Zone Cleaning

The idea of zone cleaning is that in addition to their own rooms, each child gets a "zone" or specified area of the house to be in charge of for the week.  This can be tailored to each individual home.  To give you an example I will share our current zones.  

• Kitchen zone: Includes kitchen, family room, and dining area.  Responsibilities include; unloading and loading the dishwasher, cleaning up clutter,  and keeping the floor swept.  
• Office zone: Includes our office, entry way, piano room, coat closet, and master bedroom (keeping kid items out of our room).  Responsibilities include keeping these areas tidied and floors swept if needed.  
• Gameroom zone:  Includes our gameroom, landing, hallway, and upstairs bathroom.  Responsibilites include keeping these areas clutter free and putting away toys. 

*We tidy the zones during the week and scour on the weekend.  On Saturday, each child is responsible for the deep cleaning chores in his zone such as; vacuuming, organizing, dusting, and cleaning bathrooms.

     We divided up the areas of our home in a way that we felt was doable.  Some zones are harder than others but we felt that it was okay for a child to have to work harder some weeks than others.  We have a motto at our house, "There is nothing fair about house work."  This is a bit tongue in cheek but we like to teach the kids that housework (and life) is not always fair and sometimes you may have to pull more weight than another person and that is okay.  

The magic of zone cleaning is in the rules!  Here is how it works. 

• If it is in your zone, you clean it.  This keeps the blaming and excuses at bay.  The only exception to this rule is for things that belong in a person's bedroom.  It is acceptable to gather up the items in a laundry basket or other container and place it (throw it) in that person's room.  This seems to be an acceptable revenge on siblings who put all of their stuff in your zone.  (Isn't parenting fun)!

• You aren't finished with your zone until you have been checked out by a parent. This is crucial to the success of zone cleaning.  You will be tempted to skip this step from time to time.  DON'T!  Set your standard high and keep it there.  If there is any give in the quality of the work that is expected, the kids will sniff you out and take advantage.  After a child has shown that they are responsible and have been consistent in the check out process, they get to skip the check out process. At this point, they have earned the right to be trusted at their word.
• Zone Violation:  If you are caught putting things in someone's zone you will have to clean theirs too.  This will keep the kids from cleaning out their zones and throwing it another zone.  

Tips:

• Make it Fun:  We play music every time we do zone cleaning.  We dance and laugh while we clean.  I think the kids actually enjoy it although they would never admit it.  
• Be Consistent:  It will take a few weeks or even a couple of months of training before the kids get the hang of it.  Once they do, you will be able to rely on them on days that you are under the weather.  
• Be patient and try to stay emotionally neutral:  This one is very hard.  My husband has a knack for requiring hard work without showing frustration or disapproval to the kids.  It is an art to require a job well done without being mean and getting angry but it can be done.
• Treat zone cleaning as a daily habit and not a chore:   When kids understand that this is not a chore or checklist but rather part of their responsibility and contribution to the family, they can take pride in their work.  

Give it a try and tell me how it goes!  Do you have a home management tip to share?  Share your ideas on Facebook hashtag #homemanagement.   

What You DON'T Need to Homeschool

Once upon a time, I was eagerly preparing for my first born child. I had the meager income of a college student, but I was determined to prepare in every way for his arrival. I read all the baby books and magazines to find out what we would need to care for a baby. With the help of generous family members we amassed a collection of baby gadgets and carriers and outfits and pillows and feeding supplies and more that nearly burst our one room apartment. There was barely room in our house for us, but now, I was ready for baby.

Five kids later I have learned that a mountain of baby supplies is handy, but totally unnecessary for raising baby. Give me some diapers, wipes, onesies and receiving blankets and I can raise a healthy happy baby.

I learned a similar lesson the expensive way about homeschool. In my anxiety to prepare to be a successful homeschooler I collected anything “educational” I could get my hands on. I was worried that I would not be a good teacher, but I thought if I had all the right stuff it would make up for my inabilities. Well, I have a LOT of school supplies and they haven’t helped me be a better teacher yet. I have learned how to organize piles of supplies, though...

So what do I use to teach my kids?

Not this. Although I am sort of pinterest proud of it.

And not all of this...

And not all of this school stuff.

Or this, really.

Or this closet full of school stuff.

We use this, beat up cardboard box with a handle.

This little bucket goes to any room we are in. We can snuggle on any couch, go out on the porch, or take it on the road. With this bucket and a library card we are ready to take on the world! So if you are new to homeschooling, save your pennies and don’t be a school supply hoarder like me. You don’t need all that stuff. Less is more! Get yourself a sturdy cardboard box, some sharp pencils, notebooks, a few favorite books, and that's it. You have fully stocked a successful homeschool. The world is yours.

Hands on Reading

     Yes, you read that correctly. This post is about hands on reading. It is possible! I love to read and a great way to help inspire your children to enjoy reading is by making it totally awesome. 

     The Wizard of Oz

"Because if you do not wear glasses the brightness and glory of the Emerald City would blind you." He opened a box filled with green tinted glasses of all sizes and shapes. He fitted them all with a pair; even Toto. -Wizard of Oz

   As we were reading Wizard of Oz I was doing my usual 'print out a picture of the characters for J to color as we read' routine when I came across this. It was a light bulb moment for me. I can make reading hands on? Wow.....

         I came across this and thought it would be great. Visual plus hands on!  What a fantastic way to retell stories! Now we use the 'Yellow Brick Road Method' after all our stories. 

There are tons of different ways to do this if 'Yellow Brick Road' is not for you or if, like us, you thrive on variety.  Here are some other ideas:

Hands on reading ideas galore!

Instead write questions like: Who was your favorite character and why? Are you like him/her? How? What is the setting? Would you like to be in this story for real? Describe the villain. What do you think will happen next? How does _________ make you feel? 

You may also like this.

I saw this recent post that focused on emotions. Click to view. 

What I would do with a retelling rope is have a pre-knotted rope like you see above. Have children draw pictures to represent the knots. For example, draw or color a printed picture of a forest and then tape it to that area of the knot. You could use ribbon and Velcro if that's what you have on hand. 

James and the Giant Peach

     For this book I chose to focus on each character. As you can see we wrote about each one as they were introduced in the book. Then I printed out pictures via google search. Then I drew some and J drew some and she colored them in. It was easy. 

     I have a friend who lets her kids pick out one 'topic' to listen for and highlight as they have family scripture study. One son chose food. Every time food is mentioned as they read he highlights it in green. Another chose animals. Any time an animal is talked about, it's highlighted in orange. Older children may choose harder concepts like service or miracles. 

You may be surprised to find how often books talk about food. This is a great way to incorporate hands on learning in reading! Plus after you have made it, let the kids eat while you read. I find that's one of the best times to read to kids. 

Host a Reading Fair

I am actually throwing one of these shin digs for my home school group at the end of the summer to encourage summer reading.

Check your local library to reserve free rooms for your event.

 Let me know if you do it!

Follow this link to help you get started. 

As always, I leave you with a quote:

Stay tuned for next week when I will be sharing our latest and greatest reading adventure!

Happy Reading!

I Gave Up

    By: Molly Elmer

      To know me, is to realize that I am a bit shy at first meeting.  I have a hard time functioning in a cluttered space and I may lean towards exhibiting OCD tendencies with my organization.  In a nutshell, I am type A.  The funny thing is I was blessed with three rambunctious boys who don’t quite fit in my nutshell, not matter how hard I try.

     The moment I opened up the topic of homeschooling to my husband, I hit the ground running.  I jumped in cannon ball style and researched, researched, researched!  That’s my M.O.  If I want to know something, buy something or learn something, I hit up my trusty Mac Book Pro and pal around with my friend Google.

     I sort of fooled myself into believing I could research everything I needed to know in order to be prepared for our first year of this whirlwind journey.  I expected smooth sailing overall, with minor waves and winds here and there.  I knew I would need to tweak this and change up that but I didn’t know I would need to give up.  

     I went to public school, grades k-12 and had the mentality to prove it.  I’ll let you take a guess how the first week went down.  Go ahead and laugh, I still do.

     I had our neat little schedule, typed up, size 14 Font, and proudly displayed it in our schoolroom.  We had a calendar, said the pledge and talked about the weather.  I went through the motions even though something felt off.  I researched all about curriculum but I suppose I never really thought about how I would implement all the subjects.  I did realize my boys are each their own individual and learn best in different ways but the gravity of that realization hadn’t hit.  The “ah-hah!” light bulb moment that I had the potential to unlock a world of education and learning, tailored fit just for them had not shifted into place.

     It wasn't until my five and a half year old, kindergarten aged, never been to public school boy did not want to learn to read.  It just didn't click.  And that’s when I gave up.  I gave up all the beliefs I had about what he needed to learn and by what age and tossed them out the window.  I gave up my way of learning and teaching and instead relaxed and focused on what made him tick.  And then I waited until he was ready.  Such an easy concept, so why is that so hard to do?

     I don’t ever ask my friends anymore what their children are learning in school.  I don’t compare.  My goal with homeschooling never was to follow the timeline of a public education.  My goal was and still is to foster an environment that inspires the love of learning and encourages confidence and independence.  I want my boys to be more than book smart.

     When I gave it all up, I found my passion as to why I’m okay when my house is in a state of chaos and I don’t remember what quiet sounds like.  It fuels me through the exhausting days and lights the fire to always be learning right along side them.  It was in the giving up that I gained so much more. 

Runaway Days

by Michele Bolton

Originally published in July of 2005 in the Sentinel

"Some days are like that. Even in Australia."

     Have you ever felt like poor Alexander in Judith Viorst's Alexander and the Horrible, Terrible, No- Good, Very-Bad Day? You know the kind of day I'm talking about: A previous night's-worth of insufficient sleep, accompanied by bags under the eyes that seem to stretch your whole body down to your knees? The kind of day that finds some perfumed, painted and pompadoured neighbor/friend/Relief Society sister (pick one, I've had 'em all) at your door while you stand in your holey jeans and two- day-old t-shirt with wet hair (hey, I give you credit, at least you're clean) surrounded by your darlin' little monkeys in various stages of mood and dress? The kind where your bed isn't made and all the rooms are declared National Disaster Areas, where one child won't do his math while another won't stop following you around the house asking "Why?" and the baby is sitting on the dining table cheerfully consuming an open jar of peanut butter whilst wearing a diaper you're sure no HAZMAT team would touch? Where your mother calls "just to let you know" how Dad is so worried your kids will be backwards troglodytes in Plato's cave because you don't put them in public school? You feel flat as a pancake without baking powder, life seems a bleak, barren desert of unending chores filled with restless little natives who make "Mom!" sound like a swear word, and no end in sight.

     So what's a rational woman to do? I don't know. Rational is the last word I'd use to describe me, even on my most "with it" days. This mad woman, after clonking her head against the wall a couple of times to clear out the fog, stands up straight, and in her most decisive tone possible declares, "Runaway Day!"

     Now, you say, responsible people don't run away. They stick it out, come what may. (Ooh, a cute little rhyme!) But, when you're at the end of your rope on your very last nerve, something has to happen. And our solution is to...run away.

     I am not saying, "throw in the towel, chuck it all," well, at least, not forever. Just for a day, or two. We work hard, really, most of the time, sitting down and doing our "lessons" (we hate to say "school") so I think it's okay to say "We've had enough. Let's take a break." It gives us permission to step back, take the load off for a while and regroup. It doesn't tell my kids to be lazy or quitters or to not face their problems. It says that a strategic retreat every once in a while can actually help win a war.

     Our first runaway day was in the late spring, early summer of our first year in a new home, new area, having moved further from family and friends. Boy was slogging along at his lessons, baby Girl was glued to my leg. I was lonely, depressed and feeling a little housebound. Inspiration struck, we packed up and headed to the lake where I sat and watched my kids play in the sand and test the waters (we even spotted a fish!). We went home tired, sandy and altogether satisfied. Hubby asked, "What did you do today?" My response? "We ran away for the day." He shrugged his shoulders, being by-now accustomed to my weird ideas and dialog, totally trusting in me as a wife and mother to keep everyone safe and happy.

     And you know what? We were. The next day we still had to face mathematics and dirty dishes and the awesome task of carving a niche in a new land, but we'd had a break, and were stronger now to face what had to be done, lessons, housework, et. al. Call it escapism, call it what you will, running away now and then is good for the soul.

Latter Day Learning Family School Review

Word is spreading about The Family School, an all inclusive LDS curriculum for homeschoolers distributed by Latter Day Learning. And I am excited to share what I have experienced the past year using this curriculum.  I am usually hesitant to recommend curriculum because every family is so different, but I dare say that this curriculum could open the doors to homeschool success for countless LDS families. (Disclaimer: I don’t work for them or know anyone who does. I don’t get any compensation for my review -although if they want to send me year two free I won’t refuse! I share solely on what I have experienced. LDS-NHA does not recommend or sponsor any specific curriculum or philosophy.)

I put mine in little binders. This is the whole set minus Geography- it was in use at the time! The colored notebooks to the right are the workbooks. They are color coded by subject for ease of use.

First, a little background on my curriculum search. I got a degree in education and have always been interested in how kids learn, so I have studied and read widely on the subject. When I began looking into homeschool I was disappointed at the curriculum I was finding. Either it was fun, but academically anemic or it was academically rich, but didn’t employ the good teaching practices I had studied in college. I liked the idea of a religious curriculum but I didn’t want it sooo religious that ‘Nephi’ and ‘Abinadi’ were our spelling words, nor did I want to spend time altering mainstream Christian materials to mesh with my beliefs.

Frustrated that I couldn’t find a curriculum that bridged what I knew about “education” and what I loved about “homeschool”, I began creating my own Hands-on, LDS-friendly, Classically-Infused, Nature-rich, Unit-studying, Standards-approved, One-Room-School-House, Homeschool curriculum for all Learning Styles. My dream curriculum was based on all of the favorite things I had found from each curriculum I studied. Needless to say, it was a LOT of work. And I didn’t get very far.

Imagine my relief when one day I clicked on a link to The Family School and found they were doing exactly what I was trying to do, only they were doing it way better! I didn’t waste much time ordering and we happily started using it last August. I am convinced it is Heaven sent! I have started and stopped homeschooling so many times my kids should have whiplash from going back and forth, but this curriculum has given me the confidence that I can continue on with all my kids throughout their education.

So What is The Family School?

This curriculum covers, Music, Art, History, Literature, Geography, Science and Religion. It is being written as an outreach of the American Heritage School based in Utah. This school has teamed up with homeschool veterans to adapt their school curriculum to a homeschool setting. The scope and sequence involves a 6 year plan that you can repeat with your family. They are still writing the curriculum. I think the team is currently writing year three. Year One has been released. Year Two is in its beta year (they’ll take suggestions from test families on how to improve, then release for Fall 2014). And years three through six are yet to come.

The bad thing about it being brand new and currently written is you can’t start on say, Year 4, as your first year because it doesn’t exist- yet. The creators could have waited to release all six years at once, but could see the need for this curriculum in their own homeschooling families. So in an effort to help ASAP they are tossing it out there fresh off the press. (And boy do I mean fresh. Last year our school started one week later than planned because of a delay at the printers.) The good thing about it being current is they are constantly taking feedback through their active user forum and improving the product to the meet the needs of the families using it. I’ve seen great improvements to an already great product just this year. They recently released an ipad format for Year 1 which looks really cool.

What ages of children can use The Family School?

I feel like the general scripted text is targeted at an upper elementary level. There are activity suggestions for younger children that have been suitable for my kindergartner and second grader and adaptable for my pre-K student. The activities for older children are often right on or a little heavy for my above grade fifth grader. The Advanced children’s assignments we haven’t ever touched, but look 14+ to me. I can with no preparation whatsoever teach the lessons at a 2-7 grade level. To make the lessons work for my pre-k and kindergartner I need to shorten, summarize, or skip a lot. We rarely cover everything in the lesson- they give so much in each lesson. I like that so I and pick and choose what is most relevant for my family.

What about high schoolers?

I graduated from high school, but I am learning from this curriculum. The way it is formatted the lessons are a springboard for learning with so many enrichment links to learn more and dig deeper. I think any age could benefit from this curriculum. The gospel principles are applicable to all ages as well.

If I had a high schooler who wanted to participate in The Family School I would have them choose subjects to teach and let them be the teacher. The lesson format helps teach the teacher HOW to teach. For example: each lesson starts with an attention getting activity that engages the kids and gets them thinking. (This is usually my kids’ favorite part.) Then academic concepts are researched through plug and play scripts, informative online presentations and thought provoking questions. Then a gospel principle that relates to the concept is explored. Activity suggestions to apply and record what has been learned are then assigned according to skill level. Classic novels are recommended as family read-alouds that go along with what is being learned.

Is it Too Religious?

Because the concepts are presented as first academic and then related to a gospel principle I don’t feel like the religion takes over the academic. The gospel principle sections in each lesson are substantial and sometimes heavier than my little ones need, but they have been inspiring to me and I feel like my testimony is growing by just reading the lessons. The gospel principles give me a natural opportunity to bear testimony often to my kids. The gospel principles are beautifully taught and solidly based. I definitely don’t think the religion takes away from the academics but adds to it and gives it relevance.

But is it Academic Enough?

One reviewer said they didn’t purchase because it looked weak in the academics. I don’t know how to measure how “academic” something is, but I know The Family School is a heckuva lot deeper than any public school I went to. And I am learning loads. I almost had a heart attack when I read over the first unit in science classifying invertebrates that I had never heard of. Or when I saw The Comedy of Errors by Shakespeare on the Literature list. I knew nothing before about echinoderms or The Bard, but now I (and my 3-10 year olds) can geek out with the best of ‘em on both subjects. With all the further reading, recommended links, and enrichment activities the sky is the limit with the academics and it would be simple to beef up for super-schoolers.

What about Math and Language Arts?

Not included. Bummer. Maybe someday they will simplify that for us all as well.

What do I like best about it?

I am learning WITH my kids. The lessons are fun. The gospel connections provide a framework for all the things we learn and tie it all together. I have felt the spirit more times in one semester of Family School than every family home evening we ever had combined.  I can spend zero time preparing and still have successful lessons. (If I read through the night before things are even better!) I am learning better teaching skills using their methods. The six year outline gives me confidence that there won’t be huge holes in my child’s education. My favorite feature is the Online Library they give access to when you order the curriculum. In the online library each lesson has awesome online links, power points, movie links, enrichment links, worksheet printables and more in addition to the purchased printed materials in the manuals.

Would I do anything differently next year?

Instead of trying to cover a different subject each day of the week I will do one whole unit of a subject (one or two weeks) before rotating to the next subject. I will outsource one subject to my oldest to help teach. I will not purchase the workbooks- I will just print as needed. I will make one notebook as a family to hold all of our work for the year, instead of buying separate binders for each kid. I will co-op the art and music lessons with a friend so I don’t let those subjects fall by the wayside. I will not try to cover everything in every lesson.

The Family School provides an excellent model for home education. I would recommend it to homeschool veterans and beginners alike. Knowing all families will teach and learn differently, it is loosely structured enough to provide wiggle room for varied ages, teaching styles, educational philosophies and school structures. Though no curriculum fits all, this is as close as I’ve seen to a one-size fits most program for LDS homeschoolers.

The Latter Day Learning Conference is in May. I am too far away to attend, but if you are a Utah local you can get a hands-on look in a few weeks and see what these people are all about. Last year they offered about a $50 discount to the curriculum during the conference so if you are thinking of ordering, do it during their conference dates (online too) rather than waiting until Summer. While the dollar sign might give you a heart attack, trust me, there is no way I could have purchased a boxed curriculum for all of those subjects and all of the ages of my children for that cheap, especially since I will be cycling back to Year 1 with my younger kids in five years. This has been worth every penny for my family.

Have you used The Family School, or do you have questions about this new curriculum? Comment below.