Homeschool Social Learning Lab

Doting Auntie Rachel taking the girls out for spa day

One of the most saddening things of modern life, is that many of us are physically separated from our families. This makes it difficult to have the rich experience of an extended family that I was so blessed with when I was a child. The physical distance doesn't have to mean there has to be an emotional one. In fact, the physical distance should be an reminder to be more intentional at connecting. With homeschooling, we are afforded the freedom to do life the way we want, to teach important life lessons in our own natural way. Today it became clear to me after the girls had a conversation with their Auntie Rachel, that it is of utmost importance that they connect with their extended family. The benefits are immense. 

Benefits of Connecting with long-distance family

1. They are able to learn etiquette in talking on the phone
2. They are able to build an emotional bond with a trusted family member
3. They are able to share their experiences
4. They are able to learn from the experiences of others
5. It provides opportunities for them to serve, love, and give of their time and talents
6. It helps them to learn how to be unselfish in listening to others
7. They can gain confidence in listening and speaking

I am so set on this being a weekly or even daily part of our homeschool program. Living far away from family can be tough. But it also opens up new opportunities for growth in my girls character development.  Them talking with Rachel today was pivotal. Her reminder of the importance of family. I believe that to my core, but unfortunately it isn't always lived out. But now, I have a renewed desire to make this a high priority in our home. "Connecting with family" ought to be added to my list of what constitutes a good day. Here are some other things I am grateful for. 

Blessings from our day

• Virtual lessons went without technological hiccups
• Shiloh is learning about subject, predicate, an author's purpose in LA. For math she's building quickness with her math facts and learning about place value and digit value.
• Norah' learning about adjectives, adverbs, and writing about a topic in LA. For math she is mastering math facts and writing equations.
  
• Norah INDEPENDENTLY decided to write a research paper on foxes! She typed it out and read it aloud. I was very impressed. And thankfully those visual encyclopedias are becoming handy. 
• Shiloh did her math and language arts work efficiently  (for the most part)
• Benjamin was a hoot, running wild, being funny, imitating the girls, getting into things... all pretty typical
• We did our Bible lesson before our 11:00am class. It was succinct, yet impactful
• There was a great amount of time outdoors. We ate lunch, exercised, played, etc
• The girls found an exercise video that Benjo could participate in
• The end of the night, the Norah and Benjo were found on the couch reading books. Benjo mouthed the sounds that dogs make.
• The realization of how the importance of my kids feeling that things are fair between them. I notice the dissatisfaction in the way the think things are handled. I'm here and I'm listening. I'm working on it. 
  

It was a pleasant day. I am grateful, despite the anxiety of not feeling like I got enough done. We worked out the kinks and we are growing each day. I am thankful and can only pray that tomorrow will be full of opportunities to learn and grow more. 

The Great Outdoors in our Homeschool Day

Girls and Benjo enjoy a little snack outdoors before their next class

It's funny how when people think of homeschool, they think of kids simply doing school at home. They may imagine that it’s like a home version of what a classroom setting is like. While that may be true for some families, it is not true for all, and it certainly isn't true for mine. There’s a great deal of flexibility in our day. We like to be outdoors playing, frolicking and exploring. We enjoy visiting, being out on the town, going to co-ops, having lunch with friends and chats with neighbors. 

We enjoy all of these rich experiences that elicit new vocabulary, manners, social prowess, confidence in the outdoors and enjoyment of nature.  So, today we got to enjoy a much needed break from Virtual Academy. I had planned to stuff our Bible lesson in before the next class, but the girls just wanted to be outside. I figured it would be good for them. So I allowed them to enjoy the fresh mountain air while they ate their vegan strawberry yogurt. Benjo got in on the fun too which made it extra special. Here are some other highlights from our day.

• Norah's new VA teacher is enthusiastic and personable
• Shiloh was engaged and learning some cool things in her class
• David made a delicious lunch of Peruvian bean tostadas
• Benjo Slept for 2 1/2 hours while girls were outdoors for their 2nd excursion.
  
• The girls enjoyed some awesome play time and social time with their church school teachers
• They got to hear us talk about long-term financial planning while driving in town
• They helped us process the pros and cons of buying a RV
• We enjoyed the novel experience of eating at a raw vegan restaurant as a family. It was so yummy!
  
• Oh, lastly they sang us "Happy Anniversary" while driving back home

 

All in all, today was a great day. We did miss our Bible Lesson, but we never exclude Bible training since our morning devotions elicit great conversation. We returned home a little later than usual, tired, yet excited to have spent such sweet time together as a family. Flexibility never felt so good….

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.