Jennifer Lambert

A Sacred Balance

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5 Days of Homeschooling Essentials {Day 3: Know Your Enemy}

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We need to plan.

We need to know ourselves, our strengths and weaknesses.

We need to know our enemy.

And sometimes that enemy is ourselves or our loved ones disguised as good will. And I know it’s hard. It hurts. But we need to protect our families.

I’m sure Satan loves nothing more than to steal our joy.

It’s hard not to compare. We’re terrible about looking at the haves and have nots. We even disguise as praying for people.

Don’t compare your homeschool or children to anyone else.

So what if their child is reading and yours isn’t? It’ll happen, eventually.

So what if their child is accepted into {insert whatever prestigious extracurricular or academic activity here}? Do you really want to drive/pay/deal with/stress over whatever that may cause your family?

So what if their child’s handwriting is illegible and they can’t spell or write a complete sentence? That child may be gifted in art or music or math or anything else.

Know your enemy.

Understand your insecurities for what they are. Stop placing blame on others for your feelings and issues. Love is a verb. 1 Corinthians 13 and all that jazz. You are responsible for your reactions. Don’t resort to being ugly back. Golden rule, remember? I know. It’s hard. I bite my tongue or inside my cheek all too often.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12

If you have friends or family members who are naysayers or who criticize your every move, then you need to deal with that as delicately and politely as you can. It may mean fewer interactions to maintain your family health.

Surround yourself with health and happiness. Remove the ugly from your life like the cancerous tumor that it is.

If you have friends or acquaintances who steal your joy, pray for them, but avoid their company and seek healthier relationships.

Life is too short.

Quit comparing.

Live free. Laugh loud. Love bold.

The whole series:

Day 1: Planning

Day 2: Know Yourself

Day 3: Know Your Enemy

Day 4: Supplies

Day 5: Let Go

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Gifts for the Homeschool Family

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Our family and friends think it’s very difficult to choose gifts for us. And it is. We have high standards for quality and are kinda particular about the toys we allow. We don’t want clutter or something that’s not educational or useful.

And we don’t have a lot of storage space since we’re military and move every few years.

Books and experiences are the best!

Great Gifts for the Homeschool Family

BOOKS are always welcome.

Not sure? Gift cards to bookstores or Amazon are perfect.

Ask which curricula we’re needing.

There’s always something needed next and often: gift certificates are usually available. Or just use my blog affiliate links on your own purchases to help us out! {Thanks}

Often the extras get pushed aside.

Experiences: Music lessons or art classes or gymnastics are great gifts for homeschoolers.

My kids would LOVE that. We just can’t manage it for four kids year-round right now.

Also, memberships to museums or subscriptions to educational magazines are great!

We love Zoobooks and Nat Geo and Discover.

What are great gifts for a homeschool family?

Whole Family:

We love gifts that the whole family can enjoy together! Game night is fun. We also love classic card games and chess and checkers.

Littles:

Alex loves his light box we made. I need to collect some supplies to really use it to its potential. These are some items I’m eyeing. I love them for unstructured open-ended playtime.

Big Kids:

They need something to release all their energy.

Teens:

Liz loves art and science. I’m not real crafty, so I need to help her out.

Dads:

Ours likes to grill and do woodworking!

Mamas:

We got a Nespresso as soon as we married. For a little sumpin sumpin other than coffee on a brisk and rainy afternoon, I often choose a fine tea. And I love reading!

Chefs:

They need the best, right?

What are your favorite presents as a homeschool family?

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Our Typical Day With a Schedule for Success

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Our ideal homeschool day begins the night before.

Our Homeschool Schedule

God said it best: A new day begins in the evening.

And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day. And the evening and the morning were the third day. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day. And the evening and the morning were the fifth day. And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. ~Genesis 1:5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31

If I want to have a successful morning, I need to plan for it the evening before.

I need to love on my babes by praying with them, singing lullabies, snuggling, and discussing the highs and lows of the day past.

I need to be intentional.

When I’d rather just be done for the day and send them up to bed alone and have me time ASAP, I know in my heart that I should remain the discipling mommy a few moments more.

I struggle with this. And I’m not always successful.

It’s often hard being a mom to small kids with so many needs.

I have to be flexible and let go of some of my expectations.

My house isn’t as clean as I want. My hair is doing that thing again. The van needs an oil change.  The cat just puked under the table. The grass needs cut and edged before the HOA sends another notice.

It’s tough being a homeschooling mom with four kids 24/7 – with no breaks ever.

I take little breathers when and where I can.

I pray for my kids while scrambling eggs and folding clothes.

I hum-sing to my toddler while changing his diaper.

I do not roll my eyes while explaining fractions to my daughter. Again.

I actually look at the ordinary rock my preschooler is dying to show me at the park.

How to Have a More Successful Day

Plan Meals Ahead

Planning for the next morning means I need a clean kitchen and at least an idea of breakfast. Having a good meal in the morning helps the kids learn better.

Prepping the coffee is a good idea too. Programming or at least setting it to the point I just have to touch the start button makes my morning go smoother.

My eldest daughter, Elizabeth, usually cleans the kitchen after dinner. Bless her!

Planning dinner ahead helps too. I’ve really slacked on my meal planning this summer. I need to thaw out meat the night before so we have dinner ready to grill or make a casserole or slow cooker meal.

When the weather gets cooler, I use the oven and slow cooker more. Especially on sports practice nights.

Daily Schedule

So, the schedule? That’s what you came for, right?

I’m trying to get up earlier {that’d be 0700 for me} to get my morning VA work finished, breakfast ready, kitchen cleaned up again, so we can begin our homeschool by about 8 AM.

Liz often gets up at 0630 and is ever so much more cheerful to have a few minutes of alone time to start her Bible or drink some tea before Alex and I come downstairs.

My youngest, Alex, demands the iPad immediately and often has cereal on the sofa if I need the time to work or make breakfast for everyone.

My middles, Tori and Kate, come down usually last to eat. Alex often joins them for second breakfast.

I am so not a morning person.

Some of our favorite breakfasts:

  • soaked steel-cut oatmeal with bacon and sausage links
  • egg scramble with cheese and ham or bacon chunks
  • these muffins that Liz loves to make (in four flavors)
  • this breakfast casserole, with variations
  • leftover pancakes or waffles when Dad makes a big weekend batch (love him!)

During breakfast, I read the day’s lesson aloud from The Dig for Kids and we pray together, and pray for our Seed Company tribe.

After breakfast, I send Alex, Tori, and Kate upstairs to dress, brush their teeth, and clean up their rooms. They often play for about an hour. And that’s fine.

I use that time to help Elizabeth get motivated on her school work. She’s got a heavy load this year as a tween. See our curriculum here. She still needs a bit of hand-holding and if I get her to finish the bulk of her work before lunch, it’s a good day.

After Liz completed Bible and math…I leave her to complete Latin, science, and history on her own.

I work with Tori and Kate on their workbooks. We do science and history read alouds on the sofa.

Somehow, in between all that, Alex gets some preschool work done. Most days. He plays a lot and interrupts and wants snacks.

I try to complete as much as possible before lunchtime. Because after that, no one really wants to do much of anything productive. Including me.

Somewhere in all this, we try to accomplish chores. I do laundry almost every day and we have 4 color-coded baskets for the kids that tend to sit until I have a tantrum about putting it away. I’m a big believer in chores. Many hands make light work.

I do have a chore schedule:

  • Monday: empty all trash cans and put big can at the curb
  • Tuesday: dust all the furniture
  • Wednesday: clean all the bathrooms
  • Thursday: sweep and mop or vacuum the floors (we alternate the 3 levels each week)
  • Friday: scrub down the kitchen and put all laundry away
  • Weekends: whatever needs to be done or was forgotten

Some afternoons, we run errands. The girls are all too big for the library story time now and Alex just isn’t that interested. But it doesn’t start up again until September, so we’ll see. Sometimes, I just send the kids to play outside or with their toys in the basement so I can work.

Staying Healthy

We like to be proactive with our health. We eat well, drink lots of water, and prevent most illnesses with essential oils and supplements. We get plenty of fresh air and exercise.

We take cod liver oil (we like the Cinnamon Tingle!) and liquid kids multivitamin for the littles. We anoint with essential oils to help us balance mood and attitude. Liz and I also take supplements.

We start our days with a hearty breakfast and plenty of water, juice, and tea.

We eat lunch together – usually leftovers or something that will mostly hold us over until dinner. Water, and sometimes lemonade to drink.

I make dinner for our family every evening – meat and veggies, sometimes fruit, often salad. Water to drink.

We seldom do snacks. Sometimes, I will cut up fruits and veggies. I’ll provide granola or nuts. A couple kids like yogurt sometimes. I prefer my kids to eat their meals and we seldom have sugary snacks or junk food in the house.

Evening Routine

Our school area needs to be ready for the morning too. Often, after school and play time in the evening, I have the kids do a quick cleanup so it makes for a smoother beginning to our school day.

We often go on a walk around the block to wind down.

We don’t do baths every day. It dries the skin and strips away natural oils. Babies, toddlers, and preschoolers certainly don’t need full baths every day. They get a bath every few days unless they get very messy or dirty somehow. We wash hands frequently with gentle soap. We wash faces and brush teeth twice a day or more.

We have evening read alouds, snuggling on the sofa.

We sing and say prayers as a family.

I tuck the little ones into their beds and sing a lullaby, and oftentimes, I sit beside them until their eyes finally close and their breathing evens out.

With four children, sometimes bedtime takes a little longer than I would wish. I often long for alone time or a bubble bath to read my own books.

Being organized and proactive helps us be efficient and happier during the day.

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Teaching a Gifted Middle Schooler

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When I taught public school language arts, I was also the gifted coordinator for the middle school.

I tested the children who were recommended for the gifted program and placed children in the gifted classes. I taught gifted eighth grade language arts.

Those students were my shining stars, and I still chat with several of them on Facebook today…and they’re now either in grad school or beginning their exciting lives, getting married and having babies, and some are teachers themselves!

My daughter, Elizabeth, reminds me so much of those students.

She’s in my territory now. Bwahahaha!

I was out of my comfort zone for so long teaching preschool and elementary, and now she’s twelve and learning almost at the level I used to teach when I worked in a school.

It’s a wakeup call for Liz, in a way. She doesn’t like to be told her work isn’t up to a standard.

Elizabeth has never been formally tested for IQ or gifted abilities. I don’t know if she would even test into the gifted program at a school since she doesn’t really have any experience with standardized testing, other than one required by the state we lived in three years ago. She scored exceptionally well on that one, except average in math. But that is neither here nor there. I know she has gifted tendencies. I know her abilities and potential. I saw it in many students and she compares well.

My expectations for her have shifted this school year. I now have a standard by which to judge her work, in a way. I certainly know what she’s capable of, academically. I remember the level of work my students did, and I am gradually shifting Liz more towards that level. I am changing the requirements little by little to fit. She deserves to be challenged. This is why we homeschool!

I evaluate and re-evaluate her school subjects and assignments often to make sure it’s not too much nor too little. It’s a constant worry to balance everything and make sure it’s not too challenging, yet challenging enough. She’s no longer in the grammar stage. She’s quite into the dialectic stage now, and I must constantly hold her to that higher standard.

Sometimes Liz flails about (literally and figuratively) during our weekly review conferences and “forgets” all she that memorized in the past. I have to pick the connections out of her like pulling teeth. Other times, she’s full of words and blowing me away with some of her insights.

I guess I could have worse problems than that all she wants to do is lie around and read…

She has no interest whatsoever in popular culture. I told my friend the other day that Liz was born an old woman. She’s so conservative that I might never have to worry about her wearing immodest clothing or reading, watching, or listening to something inappropriate.

We recently added a logic course and it’s challenging both Liz and me. I remember getting a C in this very class in my second semester of college. {collective gasp!} During our reading of Socrates’ Apology, Liz made this connection: “Socrates was smart. Dr. Sheldon Cooper is smart. I am smart. We should start a club for all the really smart people and no one else can join!” {Never mind that Socrates is quite dead and Sheldon is quite fictional…} It really cracked me up.

I’ve had to explain to Elizabeth that she won’t make any friends bragging about her knowledge of Shakespeare or Latin…

It’s often a challenge to me to provide appropriate yet interesting reading material for a young girl. Her lack of cultural and worldly experience make this somewhat difficult at times. Much of her being “sheltered” is by her own choice and interests, but I am glad to have a “little girl” as long as possible. She will grow up all too soon.

Gifted Characteristics:

  1. Gifted students are often perfectionist and idealistic.
  2. Gifted students may experience heightened sensitivity to their own expectations and those of others.
  3. Gifted students are asynchronous.
  4. Some gifted students are “mappers” (sequential learners), while others are “leapers” (spatial learners).
  5. Gifted students may be so far ahead of their chronological age mates that they know half the curriculum before the school year begins!
  6. Gifted children are problem solvers.
  7. Gifted students often think abstractly and with such complexity that they may need help with concrete study and test-taking skills.
  8. Gifted students who do well in school may define success as getting an “A” and failure as any grade less than an “A”.

Creative Thinking

  • Independent thinker
  • Exhibits original thinking in oral and written expression
  • Comes up with several solutions to a given problem
  • Possesses a sense of humor
  • Creates and invents
  • Challenged by creative tasks
  • Improvises often
  • Does not mind being different from the crowd

    • General Intellectual Ability

  • Formulates abstractions
  • Processes information in complex ways
  • Observant
  • Excited about new ideas
  • Enjoys hypothesizing
  • Learns rapidly
  • Uses a large vocabulary
  • Inquisitive
  • Self-starter

    • Specific Academic Ability

  • Good memorization ability
  • Advanced comprehension
  • Acquires basic skill knowledge quickly
  • Widely read in special interest area
  • High academic success in special interest area
  • Pursues special interest with enthusiasm and vigor

    • Leadership

  • Assumes responsibility
  • High expectations for self and others
  • Fluent, concise self expression
  • Foresees consequences and implications of decisions
  • Good judgment in decision making
  • Likes structure
  • Well-liked by peers
  • Self-confident
  • Organized

    • Psychomotor

  • Challenged by difficult athletic activities
  • Exhibits precision in movement
  • Enjoys participation in various athletic opportunities
  • Excels in motor skills
  • Well coordinated
  • Good manipulative skills
  • High energy level

    • Visual/ Performing Arts

  • Outstanding in sense of spatial relationships
  • Unusual ability in expressing self, feeling, moods, etc., through dance, drama, music, etc.
  • Good motor coordination
  • Exhibits creative expression
  • Desire for producing “own product” (not content with mere copying)
  • Observant
    •
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    Homeschool Space in Utah, Part 3

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    Welcome to our tour of Our Homeschool Learning Spaces…we did a little bit of updating from last year.

    Our front room on the main level is my office. I have two overflowing bookcases. I love my desk setup! I have everything I need within reach.

    mama-magic.png

    We are so blessed to have a basement! We use it for our main learning space. I know we probably won’t have this luxury when we PCS in a year or so.

    I keep many books on this bookshelf that we’re not currently using, but we will use again for another round of history, science, Bible, or art. The green cube holds scrap paper for crafts. I also have magazines {Nat Geo Kids, Ranger Rick, Zoobooks} in the files on the floor beside the art boxes.

    Mamas-Storage-Corner.png

    I found these matching desks used and the girls’ bedroom furniture is the same design and company. I love shopping at thrift stores, yard sales, or online at ksl.com. I have buckets of school supplies on a lazy Susan on the table in the corner. Teacher books are on shelves in that table too. And new stuff is stacked on the floor ready to begin in a couple weeks – after our Yellowstone trip!

    girls-desks.png

    I found this amazing table and (don’t they match?) 4 sturdy chairs…at TWO DIFFERENT YARD SALES ON THE SAME DAY. Score! The girls use that cube unit from Target for workboxes. I jot down our themes each week on the pictures for each subject. Our clean new empty Tapestry of Grace Year 3 notebooks are propped on the floor for now.

    desks-work-table-workboxes.png

    We do lots of lessons in front of our All About Reading board and our We Choose Virtues board is above that.

    boards

    Our messy book nook with easel and magnets. We can never have enough books!

    book nook

    This is the wall where Alex does his preschool magic. We keep our Montessori mats for all the kids in that basket and toys in the bins. Our calendar is on the cellar door. I found this awesome school desk at Savers and he LOVES it!

    thrifted-school-desk.png

    That cube unit is from Target. All About Reading posters and a U.S. map from the $1 spot with a fun U.S. magnet game. and trucks. Always trucks!

    preschool-magic.png

    Here’s Liz’s setup in our sewing/craft room. Also a cube unit from Target. {yeah, I love em!} She has one cubby for each school subject {history, foreign language, Bible, math, science, and ELA} and a thrifted basket for art. Notebooking binders are propped in between.

    big-girl-workboxes.png

    See what curriculum we’re using this year.

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    Preschool is Hard to Teach

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    Preschool is the hardest level for me to teach.

    I love the exploration and excitement that comes with this stage.

    I miss naptime! My kids all relinquished naps at the ripe age of two. Nooooooo!

    It never occurred to me to not have my tots and preschoolers “do school.” They begged to have their own schoolwork and, if left to their own devices, wreaked utter havoc on the house. I’ve had friends who didn’t encourage their preschoolers to do much of anything, and, well, it shows.

    Thank God for blogs. They helped me survive those preschool years (and still going strong for Alex, sort of), and now I feel like a preschool pro. Sort of.

    But I love teaching older kids. It is what I went to college for, more by default, but still. I could wax philosophic about literature and history all the livelong day. I have a bachelor’s in English literature and a master’s in secondary education.

    The problem with preschoolers?

    They. are. so. demanding.

    You can’t tell them to just go read or play alone for a few minutes like with older kids. They need constant attention. (so do teens for that matter)

    It wears on my ever last nerve.

    The constant “Mama! Mama! Mama!” The never-getting-to-use-the-bathroom-alone thing.

    It wears me down.

    I loathe pushing swings. My mind wanders to all the “more important” (read: selfish) things I could be doing.

    I know I am selfish. I loathe myself for being selfish.

    No one sees when I cry out to God: “Increase You and decrease me. Let me shine for You. Help me to overcome myself.”

    I can only run to my Father for comfort and snivel and whine and be a big brat about my own kids who are only being children, themselves, hungry and tired and needing a hug.

    I don’t really want them to grow up so fast.

    I can barely remember when Elizabeth was a preschooler and all of a sudden, she’s 12 and doing high school work already!

    Hello Sunshine

    Tori and Kate look half grown and to hear them talk, they already know everything. And Alex doesn’t want to be 3 anymore. He wants to grow quickly so he can drive monster trucks.
    preschool Lauri puzzle

    I want to make memories with my babies. I want them to remember their childhoods fondly and grow in their relationship with me and their dad, God, and each other. This is, after all, why we are homeschooling.

    sisters reading

    I want to calm down and sit and watch my son play with his trains. I want to snuggle on the sofa and listen to Tori read – without pressure or tears or correction. I want to let Kate have an improv jam session on the keyboard and guitar without wanting to scream. I want to thoughtfully answer Liz’s never-ending questions about everything without impatience. I don’t want to lose them or their hearts. I want them to still want to ask me questions or say, “Look at me, Mom!” when they’re 15, 20, 30 years old.

    The benefit and drawback to having preschoolers with older siblings is that they are constantly challenged. I am amazed at how much they can do and understand. I am too content to let them follow along in the older sibs’ footsteps. With this whole delight-driven schooling thing, I too easily let tot school and preschool fall between the cracks. Is it detrimental to their formative years and early education? Maybe.

    Comparison is the thief of joy.

    I could waste days beating myself up over how great those preschool blogs and Pinterest pins are while my son just wants to do math and science and writing and art with his sisters instead of putting pipe cleaners into the holes of an empty cheese container.  My favorite is the argument over how he needs the same advanced apps on his iPad mini as his sisters. Sometimes I feel superfluous and other times like there’s not enough of me to go around. But often, the chores get done more quickly with teamwork!

    So, I envy all you Pinterest preschool mamas with your messy crafts and darling handmade Montessori toys. I’m up in here having guilt trips while scraping Nutella out of our dining room bench crevices and scouring the art paint out of drinking cups.

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    Homeschooling as a Lifestyle

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    Welcome back to the How to Begin Homeschooling series!

    Did you miss anything?

    See Part 1: Getting started with homeschool or

    Part 2: Determine your teaching method and your kids’ learning styles!

    Part 3: Curriculum planning with multiple kids

    Finally! Part 4: Homeschooling as a lifestyle

    how-to-begin-homeschooling.jpg

    When we began homeschooling Elizabeth, it was a temporary solution to a birthday problem (Liz’s birthday is in October and the Kindergarten cutoff was September 1). I was pregnant with Victoria and couldn’t find a teaching job in our new city. Since Liz would have entered Kindergarten and then turn 6 in about a month, we never enrolled her and never looked back.

    Now we know it was God slamming all those doors and pointing us in the right direction!

    In my discomfort over such a new concept as home education, I recreated the school model that I had used as a classroom teacher. We sat at the kitchen table and did lessons every morning and afternoons were for rest/naps/quiet play. I compartmentalized our schedule almost to the minute! When Victoria and Katherine joined our family, it became more and more difficult to keep up the schedule and appearances of success. It sorta worked for a while, but eventually God nudged me since He was feeling left out.

    My sterile home environment was my idol. All homeschool materials and toys were out of sight when not in use. The house was clean and organized well. When Dad came home from work, everything had to be in its place. Evenings were for adults. Kids went to bed early. It worked for a while, but eventually I broke from the strain of trying to maintain that. Part of it was that I am an only child and my home life growing up was very different from having my own four active kids.

    We realized that we had to make our own family environment our own way, with God at the center. We read parenting and homeschooling books and prayed and read the Bible, as a family and separately. We held up church doctrine against the Bible to decide what we felt was right for our family. We detest legalism. We are conservative, but we embrace love as Jesus teaches. We re-evaluated our church.

    We want our children to grow up to be radical, world-changing Christians, loving everyone and forgiving everything.

    {Tweet this!}

    Homeschooling is now our entire lifestyle.

    We are constantly and persistently learning and loving. Looking back to those early years, I can see how far we’ve journeyed and I rejoice to see the heart change in myself, my husband, and our four children. We’re now on the right path, with God leading us.

    Some of favorite parenting and heart training tools:

    See a theme? Heart training is the basis for a healthy, happy relationship with your kids. Check out my Parenting Pinterest board.

    Our purpose is to teach our children gratitude and to serve others cheerfully.

    So, what about the more practical homeschool lifestyle issues? Sure, we have bad days {weeks…}. Organization and scheduling are key, but don’t let those dictate everything. Leave room for spontaneity, ice cream, playing with bubbles, field trips, fun!

    Organizing

    Everyone has a different house, a different method, different personalities, learning styles…you have to find what works best for your family! And then the season changes and back to square one.

    We really like the idea of workboxes. We use a modified cube system that works for us. Google it for oodles of ideas and free printable labels to make a system that suits your family’s needs. I’ve even seen work folders and files for small spaces or older kids that work well. Ikea apparently has some cool systems too. I wouldn’t know since I’ve never been to an Ikea. I know. Hush.

    Since we move every 2-4 years with the military, we have to recreate our organization solutions with each house! Fun. Not really.

    Scheduling

    I am terrible with lists, checklists, schedules, meal plans, calendars…I love the idea, but the implementation often gets lost in translation. I use a modified Tapestry of Grace planning page that suits us and helps me see what we need to do each week. See how I plan a homeschool year.

    Here are some of my favorites for when I am proactive and the pages do work for us!

    Some Favorite Homeschooling Printables:

    Meal Planning:

    Blog Planners:

    A key to a homeschool lifestyle is to have the whole family involved in everything.

    All the kids help with the garden and chores and planning and scheduling. I want them to be an active part of it all so they learn what it takes to run a successful household. We try to eliminate entitlement issues and encourage cooperation.

    We’re teaching strong, old-fashioned work ethics!

    Elizabeth babysits and earns money for her needs and wants. She’s generous to buy little gifts for her siblings. Another example: I brought home an old school desk for Alex that I found at the thrift store and he was ecstatic and he’s so proud of it! The kids express gratitude because they’ve been taught gratitude and values.

    God is our center.

    Education is our life.

    Gratitude is our purpose.

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    Our Curriculum for 2013-2014

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    Our Curriculum Choices for 2013-2014…

    Elizabeth – 12.5, in 8th-ish grade

    She’s earning high school credits already. wow.

    Victoria and Katherine – 7 and 6, respectively, in 2nd-ish grade

    Alexander – 3, in preschool

    Alex knows all his letters, their sounds, and he’s starting to put them together to make CVC words! He knows his colors and numbers past 100. I’m taking it slow with him because I can. He is loving his “school work” and it’s great review fun. But I can tell he’s getting a little bored.

    Looking at it all laid out, it looks like so much!

    When I went through all of Liz’s papers to organize, I realized how much we did last year. But they get bored if they’re not challenged. And they like to do schoolish activities 7 days a week! It’s exhausting for me and sometimes I have to tell them to just go play or color. Tori will do Kumon math workbooks for fun and Kate reads voraciously!

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    Curriculum Planning with Multiple Kids

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    Welcome back to the How to Begin Homeschooling series!

    Did you miss anything?

    See Part 1: Getting started with homeschool or

    Part 2: Determine your teaching method and your kids’ learning styles!

    Here’s Part 3: Curriculum planning with multiple kids

    Coming up! Part 4: Homeschooling as a lifestyle

    how-to-begin-homeschooling.jpg

    My kids are 12, 7, 6, and 3.

    When it was just Elizabeth for our first and second years of homeschooling, it was fun and new and we could do anything we wanted! I was pregnant with Victoria and then she was a great easy baby so we could take her anywhere anytime.

    Having one or two kids is a piece of cake. After three or more kids, then they outnumber you and can plan an ambush. Therefore, you must be proactive and plan your attack or you will lose.

    After having Kate, it all fell apart. I couldn’t keep the house spotless anymore {I’ll have to tell you about that phase!}. I struggled with schedules and I was late to everything.

    Later, Alex came along, but by then, I had come to terms with our life.

    We follow a classical school method.

    It keeps me sane. We veered off a bit the last couple years, but we’re back to classical and it feels good.

    So, where to begin with so many curriculum and scheduling options?

    When Elizabeth was 4-going-on-15, I discovered The Well-Trained Mind. I read that book cover to cover and adored it. I thank God I found something so comprehensive right away and could latch onto that and run with it.

    I realize it might not work for everyone, but it’s a great launch point. It has recommended schedules so you can judge if you’re doing too much or too little for each age.

    Obviously, after you’ve determined your favorite teaching methods and your children’s learning styles, you can search for resources that fit those.

    I love reading lists. Since our homeschool is based on history and literature, I acquire lots and lots of books and request a gazillion at a time from our library.

    And there will be loss and prayer and tears and searching until you find what exactly works for everyone. Just pray it through. It’s a journey. It’ll be ok.

    My husband worried about all the tries and fails of our curriculum over the years. But if it doesn’t work, I won’t force the issue. Why should I when there are so many wonderful options out there? We’re at a time in such freedom of homeschooling and the wonders of technology that we literally have the world at our fingertips and we can and should utilize everything we can to educate our children to the best of our ability.

    We’ve finally gotten to a point of comfort and confidence in our homeschool. I pray that you do too! {I fear Alex may throw a monkey wrench in the whole mess! His personality is very different from the girls’.}

    How do we function with multiple age children?

    Do you ever wonder about the little red school house idea? Remember the school in Little House on the Prairie? How did they do it?

    Do school together as much as possible!

    Bible, art, history, and science work well for this. And schedule, schedule, plan, and schedule! {But be flexible!}

    What about subjects that aren’t so easy to do as a family? Schedule those in so you can work with a child while others are doing assignments on their own.

    Here are some of our fails and successes. Of course, what doesn’t work for our family may be perfect for yours!

    Bible

    We really enjoy Studying God’s Word during her grammar years. They offer workbooks from pre-school to high school.

    We loved Grapevine Studies and We Choose Virtues when the kids were young.

    The girls liked the comic-book style activity pages in Bible Study Guide.

    We’ve read through Hero Tales and The Dig for Kids. Copywork is great for these!
    What is your favorite Bible study for your family or homeschool?>

    History

    See our detailed post about our history studies.

    We love Story of the World for elementary ages. We’re now using Tapestry of Grace since we complete so much of the whole cycle the first time ’round.

    I love the chronological study of history that our social studies and language arts centers around. It’s great. It takes lots of pressure off and the read alouds are perfect for the whole family. Even my husband loves it after dinner.

    We’re flexible and don’t always keep to the weekly schedule {gasp!} Sometimes, we’ll take more or less time depending on interest. Especially since we cycle through several times, so it’s easy to move on if we’re not completely finished with the unit.

    Liz really can’t stand to do the projects and the girls love those. They’re finally getting old enough that I can just advise and monitor and they can complete them on their own.

    We use notebooking from Notebooking Pages or we make our own with Notebooking Publisher. Sometimes, I use the pages Tapestry of Grace provides.

    Science

    We especially love Apologia Science – and have never really used anything else since it suits all our needs perfectly. The elementary series is great for the whole family – and the junior high and high school books are comprehensive and fun too!

    Math

    See our detailed post about how we study math.

    We do utilize math journals and notebooking. We focus on a math concept together periodically. We love Life of Fred and the whole family loves the stories. It’s sneaky math. Khan Academy is a good supplement. We’ve used and loved Singapore Math for elementary, but are currently facing a dilemma for upper level math.

    Language Arts

    See how I don’t teach English.

    Following a classical method for English language study begins with First Language Lessons. There are multiple volumes that include all language arts you need!

    All About Learning has great reading and spelling programs.

    Logic of English is a great comprehensive ELA program. We reviewed IEW. I’m not a huge fan of workbooks, but there are some options that kids just love.

    There are many great notebooking tools for grammar and writing. We just read LOTS and narrate it – orally, artistically, or in writing. Older kids reading to the younger ones cheers my heart.

    Foreign Language

    We focus on Latin ‘round here.

    We also have ASL, Spanish, French, and German each week. The kids love it! It’s fun to learn language together. I am amazed by how they soak it up like sponges.

    All Those Extras

    How in the world do we fit in the extra things?

    Music, art, nature study, exercise…

    Liz took formal piano lessons from a wonderful teacher who lives down the street. Tori takes guitar and Katie takes piano. I’m sure Alex will eventually take some music lessons.

    We love love love ARTistic Pursuits ! We love composer and artist studies and try to do something weekly. And we currently use art and music units from Harmony Fine Arts.

    We are very interested in this new music appreciation study: SQUILT.

    As for nature study, we love Handbook of Nature Study. The End.

    My kids love living books for nature and animals and biographies about musicians and artists.

    nature-study

    Exercise or PE? Tori, Kate, and Alex take gymnastics classes each week. Tori is quite the little track star, running 2 5K’s with Dad this spring. Kate loves soccer in the fall. Liz is in Civil Air Patrol and must keep up with PT scores each month.

    And get ’em outside to play! Schedule this into your day. Sunshine and fresh air are important! Go to parks. Go on hikes. Go to pools. Play ball. Organize a weekly homeschool play group with some of your friends. Our kids also join Dad in the gardening and yard work. It counts!

    What About the Littles?

    Babies are easy and older children are often very forgiving. But when they become toddlers and preschoolers, you have to get proactive and occupy those little monsters. And keep the older sibs’ history projects and science experiments well out of reach. {Who knew they could reach that far?!}

    Check out my beginning homeschool post!

    I’ve known families with littles who didn’t schedule or plan and just allowed for free play until school age, and that may work for you, but I think everyone misses out on so much in that environment. My kids are often bored or destructive if they don’t have some direction. Weekends are crazy for that very reason.

    With so many wonderful Montessori and Tot School resources floating around on blogs and websites, you’re doing a disservice to your family if you leave that baby or toddler to him or herself. And you’ll have so many more messes to clean up. Also, schedule for older siblings to spend “baby time” as part of school time. Train your older children to be a “mama’s helper” and this will benefit all.

    More on that in our next post!

    Organizing

    • Circle Time

    We do “circle time” together most mornings. All of us together…we do our Bible lesson and read alouds, focusing on memorization, recitation, narration. The littles learn so much during this time. We also work on calendar notebooks, sing our morning songs, and love on each other. Sometimes we do yoga together. We learn facts together with occasional calendar themes. We discuss science, literature, and history we’re studying. This often just transitions into regular assigned work so smoothly. Liz has gotten to where she doesn’t participate as much with circle time. After Bible, she uses the time to get ’er done since they’re all occupied.

    We have used several different workbox systems over the years. It’s great for planning, visualizing what needs to be accomplished, and what has been completed.

    Sue set up the workboxes for her autistic son to visualize his work. Her system calls for 12 plastic shoeboxes on a wire rack, but why not beautify it? No space? I’ve seen work folders that follow the same concept. I’ve seen some gorgeous examples of shelving and bins that could work with any budget. Google “workboxes” because I can’t list them all here. Also, you can find great free cards for labeling if you so choose. We don’t really label anymore.

    Right now, we have 9-cube units from Target that work as our “boxes.” I put baskets, trays, activities, or books into the cubes and that’s what the kids work on for each week. They choose the order they do their assignments. I monitor to make sure they do what they need to do. Otherwise, Kate would do all the science and Latin and Tori would do all that math and they wouldn’t ever get to history or writing.

    This is what Tori’s and Kate’s cubes look like this week. They do the same work, so I just double up in the cubes. They’re the perfect size.

    Top row: We have fractions. Then Spanish and Latin.

    Middle row: I have some money cards and money math pages. Then I have a Montessori letter tray and activities. We’re finishing up Land Animals science.

    Bottom row: Then our Harmony Fine Arts notebooks and art journals. We have Draw Write Now. Last, we have life cycles and Charlotte’s Web unit (review soon!).

    girls cubes

    The girls place any completed pages in the trays on top. The frames on the wall are to keep me on track with weekly themes. Their notebooks are propped on the floor beside the unit. We got through and place their pages in the notebooks when the trays are full.

    Alex has a unit too with preschool activities. Toys are in the plastic bins and he lays out his Montessori rugs for his activities to stay contained.

    I have a bigger red pocket chart now that we put up all our week’s work.

    preschool room

    Liz has a 6-cube unit laid horizontally so she has a big shelf on top for her desk supplies. She has one cubby for every subject (science, math, history, language arts, Bible, Latin) and a big lovely thrifted basket beside it for art. Her notebooks are propped up beside her unit and she organizes her own now when her tray gets full. I give her a printable checklist each week.

    tween cubes

    See how we homeschool high school?

    The girls have homeschool planners to learn time managment.

    See how I plan a homeschool year.

    How do you stay organized or schedule many children?

    Stay tuned for part 4.

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    Getting Started with Homeschool

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    Please see my suggested resources.

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    How We Homeschool Series

    Here are the topics:

    Part 1: Getting started with homeschool (preschool)

    Part 2: Determine your teaching method and your kids’ learning styles

    Part 3: Curriculum planning with multiple kids

    Part 4: Homeschooling as a lifestyle

    Getting Started with Homeschool Series - Homeschool Preschool

    Many readers didn’t know where to begin. Let me share my story.

    I never planned to homeschool.

    I was lost when I realized that God was slamming every door in. my. face. and forcing me to homeschool Elizabeth. I had been a public school teacher. All my in-laws were public school teachers.

    We moved out-of-state – and I couldn’t find a job – and I couldn’t find a school for Liz – and I was pregnant with Tori -I didn’t know what to do!

    Elizabeth has an October birthday. The school wouldn’t accept her for another year for Kindergarten. I knew in the back of my mind that Liz would be turning 6 about a month into that school year. She would be bored out of her mind and be a behavior problem. She had corrected her preschool teacher! I worried about her future success in school.

    Since we were both home, I told my husband we would just homeschool for a few years. That sealed the deal and there was no turning back. She was reading and doing work several grade levels ahead in six months. She was tested at the end of that first year and her reading level was above 3rd grade. The family got off my back after that.

    So, what did I do that first year?

    I gathered all these great materials and we did Kindergarten workbooks and readers and an old math book from my mother-in-law. Liz completed Kindergarten in 6 months.

    Now what?

    apple festival San Antonio

    I read The Well-Trained Mind cover to cover.

    I have no idea how I first came across it. I got Story of the World and followed the plan for 1st grade to the letter. Liz loved First Language Lessons.  She loved all the activities in Story of the World. She loved copywork. She loved recitation and dictation and narration. She was a model homeschool child. She had used A Beka in preschool, so we continued with some of their workbooks since she loved them so much.

    I joined all the homeschool groups. In our town, there were many and they had park days on various days of the week. We signed up for amazing art lessons at this little local place. Lessons were completed easily in a couple hours each morning. We went to the library for story time and on field trips. She was just a small 5-year-old, so we blended in with the preschoolers. {until she opened her mouth, that is.}

    When Tori came into our lives, we incorporated tot school when she was old enough to do play. Then Kate and Alex joined our family and we continued to do tot school and preschool and Montessori activities.

    Next year will be our first official school year with Kate! I plan to go classical style with Tori and Kate, similar to what I did with Liz in the beginning, but with some changes, because every child learns differently. {More info on that in the next post.}

    Here are my recommendations about where to begin…

    Research. Pray. Ask friends, acquaintances, bloggers {like me!} how they homeschool. Realize they’re not you. Pray with your husband and children for direction. Go to homeschool conventions to see what’s out there. Pray some more. Go to the library and get books on homeschooling and education.

    Read some articles on Ambleside Online about beginning school – and great reading lists! They offer an entire K-12 curriculum free on public domain. It’s very advanced and lots of reading lists.

    You can homeschool virtually free – especially in the primary years. Many of the sites listed have free or very inexpensive printables. {More on this in part 3!}

    Resources:

    Tot school and preschool printables galore at 1+1+1+=1

    Loads of fun printables at Homeschool Creations

    Love the literacy printables at The Moffatt Girls

    Great Bible printables at the sites found here: The Crafty Classroom

    Great encouragement here: Preschoolers and Peace

    These aren’t homeschooling blogs, but they’re awesome. Great themed printables and activities. PreKinders and Making Learning Fun

    I renew my membership at abcteach every year because the printables are so great. Lots of Montessori and preschool pages. They often have great membership deals through Homeschool Buyers Co-op.

    I also have a membership at Education.com for printable for all ages.

    Stay tuned for my next post on determining your teaching style and your kids’ learning styles. It will be paramount to how to have homeschool success.

    See our schedules and our school rooms.

    Follow Jennifer’s board Preschool and Kindergarten on Pinterest.

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