5 Ingredients to Our Homeschool Educational Philosophy

When I first began homeschooling, I didn't know much of how I wanted to proceed. But as I researched, meditated, and prayed, I realized there were a few ideas that I knew for sure would be integral to what we did on a daily basis. These would be guiding principles I would refer to when I wanted to remind myself of what it was I was doing. I wrote them out, journaled about it, and learned what the research has said about it. So here they are; the 5 guiding components that make up my educational philosophy. These are the key ingredients that I feel is needed to nurture the mind, body, and soul of my children.

Spiritual Education

Spiritual education includes having a knowledge of God and His immense love and interest in my children's daily lives.  I desire above all things that they are wise and they gain their wisdom from their relationship with their Creator.  I encourage my children to have a meaningful devotional time with Jesus every morning.  Along with that, our Bible lessons from Sonlight education ministry and our family devotionals form the foundation of how they make their choices throughout the day.

Practical Life

This includes being diligent with chores, personal hygiene, financial literacy, and social prowess. It also includes wisdom on how to conduct themselves among family, friends and strangers. An understanding of the wider culture is important in how they make decisions and treat others. 

Service Learning/Missionary Training

This includes doing something kind for others such as writing letters, baking cookies, making meals, singing for someone, or just being creative in how to be a blessing to someone. It also includes doing something meaningful for missionary workers overseas and learning what it means to be a missionary here in the states.

Character Development/Emotional Intelligence

Many of the above components all develop character qualities such as responsibility, diligence, and hard work. In addition to that, I want them to master the 5 aspects of emotional intelligence:  

1. Being aware of their emotions 
2. Managing their emotions, 
3. Being a aware of others' emotions, 
4. Understanding how to manage other's
   
5. Motivating themselves to accomplish their goals
   

Outdoor/Nature Learning/Art/Awe/Beauty

The great outdoors is an amazing source of beauty and enjoyment. Nature is considered to be God's second book beyond the Bible because, like the Bible, it testifies to God's amazing power. Our little family lives among nature for this very reason. My children can look out and see the beauty of God among his creation. Along with nature, beauty found in being creative with music and art are vital ingredients in our home school education.  When it comes to nature, such activities can include:

1. Taking nature walk
2. Observing nature outdoors
   
3. Reading about something different
   
4. Looking at picture books
5. Going on outings to natural places
6. Watching a documentary about it 

 And when it comes to awe and beauty, it can include things like: 

1. Playing an instrument
2. Singing a song
3. Writing a story
4. Creating something useful
5. Drawing a picture
6. Writing a new song
   

 

Overall, these core ideas have served us well and I see how it is bearing fruit. Our conversations are rich, our interactions are meaningful, their understanding of big questions of life are present, and they have a spiritual compass that guides them daily. As we spend more time in their academic subjects, I can see how these core components have helped them along the way. I am thankful for God imparting this wisdom in my soul about this. I am so thankful. I am so blessed. I am grateful...

 

The Power of Read-alouds

Ever since reading, "The Read Aloud Handbook" I've been a strong advocate of read-alouds. The author, Jim Trealese, suggests that it is one of the most powerful ways to teach reading among other amazing benefits he describes.  And while he emphasizes the importance of learning how to read, I see so many other benefits as well.

Vocabulary

One major benefit is being able to learn new vocabulary and learn it in context. As we read a book, my girls are able to see what different words mean using context clues or examples I give. For example, the word economy.  I’ll describe it simply and use the story to further explain the meaning. I can also use other relevant examples such as, "produce in the central valley drives our economy." I can take it even further by personalizing it by talking about our farmer friends who produce all manner of crops and how it benefits our local economy.

Great Conversations

Another major benefit is that it allows for us to have great conversations. We are reading a book  called "In Their Own Words" which chronicles the stories of history through the eyes of people who have lived it themselves. The stories are phenomenal and we are able to have such rich conversations about history and the meaning it has for our lives now. 

Creativity

Lastly, what we read aloud together fuels the stories they create for themselves later on. This makes for an interesting story, because they use words and ideas from book with advanced vocabulary.  I love to hear what they make up after we've read something together. The themes they choose, tend to mimic what we read. It's a very creative way to apply what they're learning. No worksheets but oral creative expression. This is awesome to see.

I love read-alouds. I love learning. I love that we can homeschool together.  Here were other notable moments of today.

Blessings…

• Engaging VA class with Norah
• Shiloh's swift recitation of the numbers over 100 and place value
• Shiloh's confidence in her command of math
• Quick completion of LA
• Use of LA worksheets as handwriting practice
• Communication with Shiloh's teacher
• Realization of a creation science oriented curriculum
• Completing our Bible lesson early in the day
• Talking with Gma and living out our Social Learning Lab

 

Again, me getting to homeschool my children just feels so good. I am truly grateful to personally teach my them the way I want. Yes it requires work, intentional effort, organization, planning, and sacrifice. But overall, I am so glad this is how we're choosing to educate our children.  I am so blessed. I am so grateful...

 

 

For the Love of Learning

My little one researching foxes after a spark of inspiration from Language Arts Class

It is every parent's desire that their child approach school with a genuine love for learning. Some educators view real learning taking place, when a child takes an idea and makes it their own. This is exactly what I witnessed last week, when after Light's language arts class, she took it upon herself to write and research about foxes. It was awesome to see.

The truly awesome thing is that this wasn't a fluke. She did it again today when she decided to learn more about pumpkins after her teacher read a story about pumpkins. I just love this. She is taking initiative in what and how she learns. In the process, she's enjoying every bit of it. She's gaining confidence in her ability to find information. She also is making the learning process her own. Honestly, this process is quite natural perhaps. I'm thankful that I'm giving her the space to learn in a way that makes sense for her. 

There were many other blessings throughout the day.

Blessings…

• Visits with friends who will be moving soon
• Little one's Late night shenanigans because of excitement of hubby coming how
  
• Shiloh reading "In their own Words" slave narrative throughout the day
• Energy to clean, cook, and clean after a long trip

That and many other blessings occurred. We learn daily. We enjoy daily. We try to live well daily. For all of this, I am grateful. 

 

The Centerpiece of Our Day

 

Feathers were the theme of our nature lesson. Photo from www.treehugger.com

 

Today we did what I believe is the most important piece of our homeschool day: Our Sonlight Education Bible Lessons. Granted, the way things are worded in those lessons are bit outdated. But you cannot beat the content which include a Bible story, Nature lesson, and a character quality. The truths found in the Bible are timeless. They are all woven together to make a beautiful presentation of God's love. 

Before getting into our lesson, we had breakfast at Panera as a reward for their hard work at maintaining their morning routines for 14 days straight. We returned home, rested a bit, chatted some, and then off to our lessons. I was thankful to catch myself from beginning with the Virtual academy assignments. Once I noticed I was about to make that mistake, we went right to our lessons. 

It was a beautiful experience as we laid on our cushy couch. The girls drew contentedly as I read to them their Bible story. We had a great discussion during our nature lesson which was about bird feathers. Shiloh made some cool connections with an Eric B. Hare story called “The Chicken and Pip Pip”. We learned about plume feathers, contour feathers, primary and secondary feathers. We learned about barbs and the iridescent glow of certain types of feathers. We learned how the birds use oil to preen their feathers. We learned about the many uses of olive oil in Bible times. It was just awesome to have such a rich discussion and have it all tie together with nature, character, and the story of the widow and her two sons. Here were some more notable things:

• They got to do their school work outside
• Shiloh wrote an amazing story called "I want to fly like a Butterfly" It was just amazing!
• Norah also wrote a story with the same title, with beautiful illustrations
• The brilliant thought that we ought to work on publishing and binding their books
• Nice chat with the neighbors and their dog
• A much earned relaxation time on the couch as they listened to Your story hour and Discovery mountain. 

 

Today looked alot like what I want our days to be. I'm so glad we prioritized our Bible lesson, placing Christ in the center of all we do. 

Weekly Homeschool Prep for an Awesome Week

Getting geared up to take on a new week

We're going into our 8th week of school and so far I'm just happy that we're moving along nicely. I want to start a new habit of preparing well for the week to come. I realize that the girls VA teachers spend time prepping, how much more important should it be that I prepare? As I've learned, I need to prioritize my program for the girls over the Charter school plans. So if I were to be completely prepared for this week, what would it look like? What activities should I have done before the week begins? What are the most essential things that have to be done before Monday hits?

Well my mind is already tinkering about the numerous ways to be organized, but I'm going to just include the essentials for now. 

Sabbath Day Preparation

1. Choose clothes for Sabbath

2. Review Sabbath schedule

3. Choose Sabbath activity after church

4. Write Sabbath Checklist (if time)

Prepare Bible Lessons

1. Print out activity sheets in activity book

2. Gather spelling word sheets

3. Print out Memory verse in big letters

4. Place activity items neatly in their clipboard holder

5. Tape memory verse in their room

6. Find appropriate bird photos to look through

Choose clothes

1. Wash or Fold clothes if necessary 

2. Choose favorite clothes for the week

3. Fold them neatly

4. Place them in their drawers or elsewhere for easy retrieval

Choose Personal Development Goals

1. Choose their individual personal development goals for the week or month

2. Print out trackers and place them neatly in their clipboard holder

3. Talk about possible reward

Read over History and Science Lessons

1. Read over lessons for the week

2. Gather necessary materials

3. Place in designated area

Review Daily Schedule

1. Review the daily schedule and make adjustments along the way

2. Identify if it flows well

3. Check for downtime, reading, outdoors, baking, service, and play time

Prepare for Co-op

1. Choose clothes

2. Choose breakfast, lunch, and dinner

3. Review lesson

4. Review schedule for that day

Schedule something inspiring, enjoyable, or breathtaking

1.  Watch nature documentary

2. Go on a hike with friends

3. Go to the park

4. Have dinner or lunch with friends

5. Play with the chickens

6. Beautify the outdoors

7. Record a song and send it to someone

8. Read through a picture book together

Prepare for Virtual Academy

1. Print out teacher materials

2. Turn in assignments if necessary

3. Place their weekly plans in see-through binder

 

These are just some of the things that I think are important in preparing for the week. It may seem like a lot, but I can just winnow it down to the most essential ones. The idea is to prepare now so that I don't feel overwhelmed in the week. I also want to make sure that I'm prioritizing their spiritual development, self-improvement, and a sense of enjoyment and service in their daily lives. It will take some time to get it all right. But I'm hopeful that each week will feel better and more organized.  Every day I'm building the life that I want to live for the sake of myself and my family. A life of beauty, awe, inspiration, enjoyment, love, service, growth, and spirituality all grounded in God's ideal for His children.

 

Re-imagining "School" at Home

 

This school year has been a whole lot different than our earlier years of homeschooling. It seems more official, more intense, more "schooly". It's no doubt due to our charter school's Virtual academy that we've agreed to be a part of. I joined because I wanted some guidance and for it to be a little easier to teach the core subjects especially with a toddler running around. However, I'm finding that it is alot more challenging than I anticipated. We're going into the 7th week of school and Shiloh has already had 3 teachers. We're awaiting the 4th one who we hope will be permanent. We knew going into it that they would be working on the inevitable kinks. Despite the challenges, I'm thankful for the epiphanies that God has given me. Here are 4 of them:

1. Focus on What's Most important

I recognized that if I just go over our Sonlight Education Bible Lesson than I am satisfied with the work we've done that day. Some other must do's are playing outside, writing letters, working, baking, read-aloud, and working on building skills in math and LA. But really, it's the Bible lesson that makes me feel like we've done something worthwhile.  That is what I value the most. It has nature, character development, scripture memory, stories, discussion, and vocabulary. It has it all. My priority is teaching them the time-tested principles in the Bible. Solidifying these truths in them early is of utmost importance.

 

2. Review my Why

When I'm able to re-focus on my goals and the reason why I've chosen to homeschool in the first place, I feel motivated and inspired to enjoy. It gives me energy. It gives me a sense of enjoyment when I remember the big why. And why, I want to recreate in my children the image of the divine. I want to provide them true education. I want to nurture their spirit and prepare them for useful life on this earth and in the earth to come. 

3. Do what's enjoyable and inspiring 

I forgot how amazing it feels to read a good book with my girls. Or to be outside in the garden working on projects. Being outdoors and working outside just feels good. Listening to good music. Creating good music. This is what feels good and right to do. I do not want to leave these important elements of art and beauty out of our school day. I have artsy kids and I need to cultivate that. Horseback riding, music lessons, band practice, story writing, gardening, outdoor projects, all the good stuff. I have to include this in our day. 

4. Take it bit by bit

Habits take time. Cultivating the beautiful takes time. Creating a new rhythm and routine takes time. It's all worth the wait. I will take it little by little. Bit by bit. It may take some time, but I can work on what's most important and keep growing from there. Right now, we're working on a smooth transition in our mornings. We'll move to other habits. The idea is to always be working on something and getting them involved in the process. 

I imagine a homeschool day filled with love, enjoyment, challenge, gratitude, service, creativity, music, inspiration, hard work, community, people, forgiveness, learning, order, positivity and a real experience with Jesus Christ walking and talking with us. This is how I imagine our homeschool environment to be. Like a little heaven on earth inspiring others in living a life of service and love.