Showing posts with label Blog Hop. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blog Hop. Show all posts

Thursday, 1 April 2021

Blogging Through The Alphabet begins 8 April 2021!

Mark your calendars friends, there is a new round of Blogging Through The Alphabet which is begining on Thursday 8th April Australia EST (Wednesday 7 April USA EST).  

Desiree from Our Homeschool Notebook is hosting this round of Blogging Through the Alphabet and has graciously invited me to join her as a co-host.

I attempted to join a Blogging Through the Alphabet in 2014 however due to work and homeschooling commitments I was not able to complete it. However it has remained on my radar as something I really wanted to do.

The challenge is to blog or create a social media post about each letter of the alphabet begining on April the 8th with the letter A. The topic I have chosen is A is for Art Lessons at Home. 

You're Invited to Join in the Fun of Blogging Through the Alphabet

  • Blog about what ever the letter for the week is.
  • Come link up to the post hosted here or at Our Homeschool Notebook.
  • The posts will be scheduled for 7 am Australia EST on Thursdays (that is Wednesday 5 pm USA EST)

Most of all lets have fun together and be creative. 

Here are some ideas to help you get started...

  • What would you teach that week in your homeschool with the letter of the week?
  • Use the letter for your devotional for the week and share some encouragement.
  • Create some word art for your word of the week. Here is an example from Ben and Me V is for Victory.
  • Write about your favourite resource for the week
  • Create a fun list or round up for the week with that letter
  • Choose a theme and tackle it from 26 different angles. Cristi from over at Through the Calm and Throug the Storm did that for round five of blogging through the alphabet and chose to share about Years Ago in her family.  You can see a sample she did for Q here - Q is for Question.
  • Take a look at what others have done in the past for inspiration.  Marcy over at Ben and Me hosted five rounds of ABC Blogging.
  • Take a photo/s of some thing that starts with that letter of the alphabet and share it on social media and link up.

What are some topics you would like to see discussed on homeschooling here on the blog?  I need some ideas from you to add to the list.

Blessings

Chareen 

**Rules for linking up:
  1. Your post must be family-friendly. We have the right to remove any posts that are inappropriate. 
  2. When linking up you agree to give us permission to share your post or a photo in any future blog posts and social media shares.
  3. Please link back to the host or co-hosts blog, and use the image if you want.
  4. Please visit another blog in the linky and comment so we can encourage one another.
  5. Make sure your posts relate to the alphabet or blogging through the alphabet in some way.
  6. The link-up will be available for one week for each letter.
  7. If you can’t join for one week, don’t stress. Just join next time, and enjoy!
  8. Have Fun, be Creative.

Posted by at 4 comments:
Labels: ,

Friday, 16 August 2019

Encouragement for the Year Ahead {Not Back to School Blog Hop 2019}

Welcome to day five of the Not Back to School Blog hop for 2019.  This week has certainly stretched me in ways I had not expected.  Today I am guest posting at the Homeschool Review Crew blog: Dear Homeschool Mom You Are Enough.

Over the past week I have tackled the following topics:
  • Art in Your Homeschool - I have shared resources and products I have used in the past.
  • Books About Homeschooling - I shared two new books I have read this year that have encouraged and equiped me.
  • Charlotte Mason - I answer the question is it worth reading a book or two from over a centuary ago?  The answer may surprise you.
  • Don't Change The Method - Homeschooling High School - This is the number ONE thing I wish I could tell my younger self about homeschooling.
 Discouragement is a common theme and a part of the self talk of many home educating mom's.  A search on google came up with two million hits.  It is a very real part of the journey but one that makes us realise how important community is and it's impact upon our journey.


Self Care

Take care of yourself is a cry we hear over and over and yet it's not something we take seriously until it's too late. I wonder why we don't?  Being a martyre does not benift anyone in your family and it does not gain you any extra points it simply wears you out.  The best thing you can do is find something that will feed your soul and do it for at least fifteen minutes a day. Without you there is no home or home school. You are the most important ingredient on this journey and you are the one that is responsible to keep yourself properly cared for or it won't be long and you will be burned out.

Take Your Eyes off Your Friends

 Where does this sense of being totally overwhelmed come from? Looking back over the years I've come to realise there are a few sources of this heart ache and the two top culprits are comparison and constantly changing what you are doing to follow the next fad on the internet or local homeschool group.  The key to unclock the freedom of joy in the journey is to learn to be true to yourself and not try to take on the mantle of what others are doing. My encouragement to you is to take your eyes off your friends (especially the super successful ones),  and place them firmly on your Lord.

Buy Some Ice Cream

When you hit a day when no matter how hard you try you will not be able to explain an easy concept to a student who is struggling to comprehend what is in front of them and soon tensions will escalate and things can become, well let's just say not so nice.  There will be tears of frustration or angry words and then I recommend you close the books.

Put AWAY all the books and declare ICE CREAM day.  

Believe me your children will be grateful and so will you be.  It's a great way to diffuse the situation, it creates a happy memory, provides space for you all to reconnect and relaxes everyone involved.

Discover Your Rhythm

Finding the balance as to the amount of time you need each day to complete your daily requirements is the first step to successfully home educating. Time is a limited resource and one that needs to be managed.  Part of this management is finding your rhythm and sticking to it.

"Every lesson must have its own time, and no other time in this world is there for it. The sense of the preciousness of time, of the irreparable loss when a ten minutes' lesson is thrown away must be brought home."- Charlotte Mason Companion page 93

The most important part of finding your rhythm is that you do not play the comparison game.  Stop comparing what you are doing with the next home school family in your group of friends or blog are doing.  Your family is unique.  It has it's own set of needs.  IF you are constantly changing up how you do things or adding to what you are doing because of what other families are doing you are going to wear yourself and your children out.

Know What You Think and Why You Think it...

IF you don't know what you think OR why you think what you do then every homeschool consultant will try to sell you their product and soon you will have a home full of different curriculum and you will be overwhelmed!  OR you will have a budget blow out or you will be so confused and not buy anything and give up the journey before you begin.

Knowledge is Power. That power is either in your hand or in someone elses. If you don't know what you think or what your goals are then there will be someone out there who is only too happy to lead you a merry dance and convince you to spend your money with them.


Knowing why you are doing something 
is the first step in being empowered 
to follow through with your choices.

Even if you are a seasoned homeschooler and you don't have your thoughts and focus set then every single time you see something new or meet a new homeschooler and hear what they are doing you will feel as though you are somehow failing your children or they are missing out which in turn will drive you to choose to add more to an already busy homeschool.  The danger of this is that soon you will be doing a great many things with mediocrity and become overwhelmed and exhausted.

I hope this past week has been as encouraging for you as it has been for me.  I hope the weekend and year ahead is filled with joy.

Blessings
Chareen



Here are a list of the bloggers and their topics who took part in this weeks Not Back to School blog hop
Posted by at 6 comments:
Labels: ,

Thursday, 15 August 2019

Don't Change The Method - Homeschooling High School {Not Back to School Blog Hop 2019}

Welcome to day four of the Not Back to School Blog Hop.  I recently realised that I have been home educating for more than two decades and as I was pondering my journey I began to wonder "What would I change if I could go back and do it all again?"



The more I pondered it the more I realised that I would have thought more about the way / method I would use during the high school years. When we first contemplate home education and our children are little we worry about addressing how they will learn to read, write and do math.  Then we spend a long time figuring out how to talk to people about socialisation, and answer questions like:  Are you going to send them to high school?  How do you do this?  Is it legal?

The interesting thing is that once your children reach the teen years society starts to accept that you are going to homeschool through high school and the questions change to: How are you going to get them into university?  How are you going to teach _____________(insert a topic like math, physics, chemistry etc. ) These were all easy to answer for me.

The statements/questions I came unstuck on were things like:  "Your children are in high school, now they need to have their own space/desk and be independent of you." and "When are you going to send them to their rooms to study on their own?"  Among homeschoolers the prevailing question was how to teach/foster independence in high school?

Looking back I realise now that it had taken us a few years to find a rhythm that worked for us, the right resources to teach all the subjects in our curriculum. We were happy and life was good.  I began to feel all this pressure from every direction that what we were doing was wrong and that I needed to change it all because we were now in high school.  I listened to all the well meaning voices.  We found desks, chairs, rearranged bedrooms bought stationary and moved the books to their rooms. 

I was WRONG. Looking back I can see that clearly now.  I wish I could go back and tell my inexperienced self.  DON'T CHANGE A THING - if it is not broken don't try fix it! Learning does not change, once our children know how to learn it does not change.  However IF they are not ready for independence and we push them into it then it derails their journey.

As mom's it's so easy to allow our babies and toddlers to develop and grow at their own pace but when we reach the middle / teen years we start to push our children into the realm of independence by societal standards and not allowing them to organically grow into that independence as and when they are ready, and sometimes we hold on too tightly and don't allow them to become independent (especially when it's our last born).

What I now realise is that the high school years are no different to the primary years.  Take a deep breath and just keep doing what's working.  You know and they know what is working.  The method needs to remain the same but the content changes and becomes deeper.  Your student will discover in themselves the best environment for them to learn in and as home educators we can cater to their growing need.  Independent learning is not isolation.  Sending them to their rooms to learn is isolation and does not foster independence.

I would love to hear about your thoughts on your home education journey in the high school years.

Blessings
Chareen 

More Thoughts on Homeschool High School can be found here: 

There are over thirty home educating mom's participating in this years Not back to School Blog Hop. Grab a cup of tea and take a look through the linky below for some homeschool Encouragement today.
Posted by at 6 comments:
Labels: ,

Tuesday, 13 August 2019

Art in Your Homeschool {Not Back to School Blog Hop 2019}

Welcome to day one of the annual Homeschool Review Crew Not Back to School Blog Hop.  Today's topic is A = Art in Your Homeschool.  I have a confession to make.  I have a love hate relationship with art in our homeschool.  Today I would like to share a list of books, web resources and Art Curriculum that we have used over the last two decades to teach art in our homeschool.



During my time with the Homeschool Review Crew we have been introduced to some amazing products which have made adding Art to our Homeschool so much easier. Here are a few we have enjoyed over the years and are well worth investing in:
  •  ArtAchieve - There are five year levels available.  You are able to purchase single lessons of any project you would like to use in your homeschool.  The lessons are presented in different formats (PowerPoint or video) by John Hofland.  Every lesson has a comprehensive lesson plan available covering many aspects on the topic at hand. Be sure to try a FREE lesson with ArtAchieve: FREE Level I-Art Lesson I-2: The Czech Cat "There is no right or wrong way to draw. One drawing is not better than another.  It's just different - because the people who are drawing are different "- John (ArtAchieve)
  • See The Light -  We have loved using the video based lessons.  Each video contains three step by step lessons.  Lessons are in a step by step format and available as downloads or DVD.  You can request your free lesson from here. We have really enjoyed the Art Projects series and learnt so many great things from pop art (Repeated Sweets - Wayne Thiebaud Artist Study) to pointillism fruit.
  • Last year we did a series of art pieces via the on line art lessons using Creating a Masterpiece. I really liked the way each lesson is broken up into shorter step by step lessons making it easy to accomplish really complex pieces over a number of days or weeks. You can try a free lesson over here.
  • We have also done numerous different art projects and show cased them here on the blog along with links to the source tutorials via the Virtual Fridge. 
  • SchoolhouseTeachers.com has some  fabulous Art Classes for your homeschool. These lessons are specifically designed to be used in your home.

The Master and His Apprentices: Art History from a Christian Perspective is an amazing text to use to teach art history.

If you have students that are interested in learning Natural History Illustration be sure to check out the FREE edX course: Drawing Nature, Science and Cultrue: Natural History Illustration 101.

Mondrian Inspired Art
Over the years we have completed a few Artist Unit Studies:

Art Resources on line

 Beautiful Books on Studying Artists
(Libraries are an excellent resource to teach for FREE)
On Pinterest
Picture Study Resources
I asked some homeschool friends what they would recommend and they said:
I would love to hear what YOU have used to teach art in your homeschool.

Blessings
Chareen


There are over thirty home educating mom's participating in this years Not back to School Blog Hop.  Grab a cup of tea and take a look through the linky below for some homeschool Encouragement today.

Posted by at 10 comments:
Labels: , ,

Friday, 24 August 2018

Books on the Charlotte Mason Method {Day 5 Friday Favorites}


Welcome to day 5 of the Homeschool Review Crew Homeschool Encouragement blog hop.  Today the Crew will be sharing their Favourite Homeschool items. I am a paper girl at heart and as such love to be surrounded by beautiful books.  On Monday I shared how I am pursuing a deeper understanding of the Charlotte Mason method of education by reading The Original Home Schooling Series.  Today I would like to share a list of books written by other's who are implementing Charlotte Mason in their homes today.


A Charoltte Mason Companion by Karen Andreola

Karen Andreola introduced me to the practical side of a Charlotte Mason education and A Charlotte Mason Companion soon become my favourite home schooling resource and is one that I recommend to any homeschool Mom who asks me which books I would recommend they read.

This beautifully illustrated book is full of encouragement and how to chapters. Karen covers practical topics like: The Art of Narration, Mother Culture, Shakespeare and Dickens. Topics of Art and Music appreciation along with Grammar, History, Nature Study and a few more kernels of wisdom.  A beautiful book full of gorgeous line illustrations.

Purchase this book from Book Depository, Amazon. For online encouragement meet Karen over at Moments with Mother Culture.

Consider This : Charlotte Mason and the Classical Tradition

Consider This: Charlotte Mason and the Classical Tradition by Karen Glass.


I highly recommend you read this gem from Karen Glass. This thought provoking book helps you to understand the back ground to Charlotte Mason's methods.  Once you understand the underlying motivational principles you will be better equipped to make appropriate choices for your home school using Charlotte Mason's philosophy.

Consider This is availaible for purchase from Book Depository.

The Living Page : Keeping Notebooks with Charlotte Mason by Laurie Bestvater

The Living Page : Keeping Notebooks with Charlotte Mason by Laurie Bestvater

Laurie has done an incredible job of researching every type of notebook mentioned in Charlotte's writings.  Within The Living Page you will discover not only the different types of notebooks used but why they were used, how they were used and when they were used within Charlotte's school and the PNEU.  This book changed my perspective on Notebooking and Timelines.

You can purchase it from Book Depository.

 Know and Tell The Art of Narration by Karen Glass

Know and Tell The Art of Narration by Karen Glass

One of the fundamental aspects of a Charlotte Mason education is the Art of Narration. Karen shares the theory behind the use of narration and then provides us with a step by step guide on how to implement this wonderful tool within your home school. She not only tells us how to implement narration but provides examples  and resources to help you use narration successfully within your home.

Purchase Know and Tell from Book Depository.


A Charlotte Mason Education: A Home Schooling How-to Manual by Catherine Levison More A Charlotte Mason Education: A Home Schooling How-to Manual by Catherine Levison

A Charlotte Mason Education: A Home Schooling How-to Manual by Catherine Levison

Catherine has shared her collection of the key points of Charlotte Mason's methods.  She shares practical and easy to understand insights to empower families to begin using Charlotte's methods within their home schools.

Purchase this book from the Book Depository as well as the sequal More Charlotte Mason Education : A Homeschooling How-to Manual.

The Original Home Schooling Series by Charlotte Mason published by Living Book Press

Books written by Charlotte Mason

The Original Home Schooling Series can also be purchased from

To find out more about the different published versions please watch this Video Review Comparing the NEW printed versions of Charlotte Mason Homeschooling Series by Brandy from AfterThoughts Blog.

If you are looking for others who are following Charlotte's Methods and sharing about their journeys be sure to take a look at this blog post: 10 Charlotte Mason blogs to follow
---oOo---


This post is part of the Homeschool Review Crew 5 Days of Homeschool Encouragement Blog Hop.

Grab a cuppa and be prepared to be motivated for the year ahead.  Here are a few of the participants of this years blog hop.  Be sure to take a look at some of the posts shared by our wonderful home educating mom's.
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , ,

Thursday, 23 August 2018

Benefits of Home Education {Day 4 Thankful Thursday}

As I was considering what to share with you today I began to realise that as a family we have benefited from this journey far more than we actually realise.  Today the Homeschool Review Crew Blog Hop participants are focusing on thankfulness, so grab a cuppa and join us as we encourage you to look at homeschooling and the many things to be thankful for.

Time for Family Relationships

Being married to a zoo keeper who works a rotating roster Paul and I realised that if we had not home educated our children would have only seen him two days a month when his rostered days off fell on a weekend.  Oportunities for relationship building abound.  There is available time to enjoy one another and get to know each other on a deeper and more intimate level within the family.

Because we home educate Paul has been able to take our children on adventures and given them valuable one on one time.

Paul has blessed our home school with his skills.  He has helped us with all the things I am unable to do. His role within our home school in invaluable and our homeschool has benefitted from his life experience, insights, practical help and guidence.

Traveling

When you think of traveling often our first thoughts are interstate or international, however any time you walk out your front door and go anywhere you are traveling and the opportunities to learn abound! The longer we home educate the more I've come to value the depth that this type of immersion provides to our home school. When children experience real life they remember it so much more and are able to use that immersion to help them interpret the world around them. There are many benefits to exploring, here are a few of the things we have done that might give you ideas for your family


Time

  • Homeschooling has given us time.  Time to get to know each other.  Time to choose our own rythm and homeschool year round.   
  • The opportunity to experience my children's successes.  The first time they read and seeing their faces light up with accomplishment. 
  • The time to watch them grow and develop.
  • Time to invest in Mother Culture rather than running from pillar to post (although that has happened when I have mismanaged my time)

Community

  • I have been blessed with amazing friendships over the years.  Some have been seasonal.  Some have come and stayed but each and everyone has invested in my life and left behind footprints that have shaped me.
  • Some of the Homeschool Co-Op opportunities have provided expereinces that my children would have been unable to experience anywhere else.  These have provided people to help share the load of schooling and have both challenged and stretched us educationally and relationally.
  • Mentoring Relationships have been a huge blessing in our homeschool. We have been blessed with help, information, networking opportunities, advice, encouragement and support we could never have had anywhere else.

Looking Back - Benefits from a Homeschool Graduate's Perspective

I asked my daughter what she was felt were benefits of being homeschooled here is her list:
  • Being able to work at her own pace - not too fast not too slow.
  • Having time to pursue subjects she was interrested in.
  • Flexibility.
  • Not wasting time.  She could go from one subject to the next and not have to move between classes or wait for the next class time.
  • Being able to graduate early at 16 with a tertiary qualification.
  • Taking time off for family commitments or travel was never an issue.
  • Having access to tutoring aka Mom!
  • Traveling and learning through immersion.
  • Having time to grow a relationship with my little brother who is ten years younger than me.

This post is part of the Homeschool Review Crew 5 Days of Homeschool Encouragement Blog Hop.

Grab a cuppa and be prepared to be motivated for the year ahead.  Here are a few of the participants of this years blog hop.  Be sure to take a look at some of the posts shared by our wonderful home educating mom's.

Posted by at 2 comments:
Labels: , ,

Monday, 20 August 2018

How to Pursue an Understanding of a Charlotte Mason Education {Day 1 - Motivation Monday}

I've been wondering what I could possibly write about today that hasn't been already covered somewhere on this blog  and realised that I've been home educating for 20 years.  That's two decades.  I was a little stunned to come to that realisation and it also made me realise why I was feeling as weary as I was.

Nathaniel and I have been on this journey together for a while and are approaching our final stretch and the finish line seems to be peeking at us both on the far horizon.  Over the last five years I have been growing a passion for the Charlotte Mason educational philosophy. At the end of last year I came to the realisation if I truly wanted to know more about this philosophy I would need to earnestly do something about it.


Tip ONE - Stay in the Village

Looking back over the last few years I have noticed a big shift within the home educating community.  There has been a move towards the digital era and we have lost the art of face to face relationships.  Home educating is a marathon not a sprint and as such we need the support of other Mom's who are on the same journey we are on.

I am deeply grateful to a group of younger home school Mom's from the local Charlotte Mason support group I've been attending. I have gained much from their enthusiasm and energy. Each time we meet I come home with a new list of fabulous books to bless my son with and a renewed sense of purpose.

If you have been on this journey for a while I would encourage you to keep meeting with younger Mom's they have much to give us.

The Original Home Schooling Series by Charlotte Mason

Tip TWO - Keep Learning

Last year while attending my local Charlotte Mason support group I came to realise that I had never actually read all of Charlotte's writings.  Each time I looked at the box of books containing The Original Home Schooling Series I felt a little overwhelmed at the prospect of taking on reading Charlotte in her own words.

Caddie W from the support group encouraged me to listen to some podcasts (I highly recommend Stitcher - Podcasts & Radio App, it is easy to install and use.) presented by a group of home educating Mothers from A Delectable Education.  I decided to go all the way back to the beginning and listen to the podcasts in order.  I was totally blown away by the depth and richness of Charlotte Mason and her philosophy.

It was at this point I grew a deep hunger to read the complete set of six books that Charlotte wrote.


Tip THREE - Surround Yourself with Accountability Partners

Once I had decided I wanted to read Charlotte in her own words I knew I needed some support.  Having a group of close woman who were committed to read was what I needed.  I knew that each month we would be meeting and I would need to have read the book in order to participate in the conversation and I did not want to miss out!   I have a wonderful group of three other Mom's who I know are reading and preparing for the next meeting and this inspires me to keep moving forward.

Tip FOUR - Set Attainable Goals

Once we had our group set up we realised we needed an attainable goals.  Caddie found some fabulous ideas and thoughts on starting a group and after some looking at the books and calculations we decided that reading through the volumes was an attainable goal.  A few of us are in the high school years and realised that we could not take too slow a pace or we would still be reading the books and our children would have completed school!  We settled on reading SIX page a day and meeting once a month via Skype call to talk about our reading and what had impacted each of us.

 Tip FIVE - Set a Time Limit

This was important for all of us. As mom's we crave time to connect and fellowship. We however knew that in order to make a success of this meeting we needed a time limit or we would end up talking about all sorts of things other than what we started with.  We also needed to know what time we would start and end as each of us would be at home for these meetings.  We meet for an hour once a month and we aim to get together twice a year during the school holidays to fellowship.

Closing Thoughts on Pursuing Knowledge of a Charlotte Mason Education

I have been surprised at how relevant Charlotte's writings are for us today. She was a woman wise beyond her years.  Every bit of her writing is spot on and in line with what is scientifically known today.   When I first started reading her works, it took time to read the pages as her writings are wonderfully rich and thought provoking.  As I have become more familiar with the depth of her thoughts it's become easier and faster to read the six pages a day.

I highly encourage you to take the time to become familiar with the Original Home Schooling Series written by Charlotte Mason.

Blessings
Chareen

The Original Home Schooling Series by Charlotte Mason can be purchased from The Book Depostiory

The Original Home Schooling Series can also be purchased from



This post is part of the Homeschool Review Crew 5 Days of Homeschool Encouragement Blog Hop.

Grab a cuppa and be prepared to be motivated for the year ahead.  Here are a few of the participants of this years blog hop.  Be sure to take a look at some of the posts shared by our wonderful home educating mom's.


Posted by at 4 comments:
Labels: , ,

Friday, 30 December 2016

Looking Back at 2016

Wow I can't believe it's the end of 2016!  My space here on my blog has not been as consistent as I would have liked and this is something I aim to change in the new year.  Looking back I have come to realise a few things.



In Our Home ...
God opened a door and blessed Paul with a ticket to go home to South Africa to care for his elderly parents for two months.

He has also been selected to do a Fellowship with Zoo's Victoria and go to Tasmania in the near future for ten days.

We enjoyed a lovely week of holidays in March and a second week in October.   I'm still very tired which has made me realise that I've taken on far too much this year.

In Our Homeschool We ...
We did attend a few trips this year although I did not manage to share our journey as regularly as I had hoped.  I have heaps of photographs languishing on my computer.  This is something I hope to change in the new year with a few Throw Back and Field Trip posts. One trip we did enjoy was viewing 200 Years of Australian Fashion

We have continued with art class and explored new things each week.  I hope to continue sharing our adventures each week in the Virtual Fridge link up 
 
Personally I have ...
  • Completed my first year as a leader with the Homeschool Review Crew. It has been fabulous getting to know my co-leaders and learning new skills.
  • I have learned how to use Picmonkey and how to blog on WordPress!  
  • My Facebook page finally clicked over to 1,000 likes
  • I've resurrected my photography Instagram account Macro_Passion.

On This Blog 
My top ten posts this year have been
 Top five search terms
A Question to Ask
As I contemplate the year ahead I'm wondering whether to start doing the Homeschool Mother's Journal again.  Is this something you would like to see continued here ?

Blessings
Chareen


Homeschool Review Crew Reflecting on 2016
You're invited to share about your year in review and link up with the Homeschool Review Crew. This link up goes live on Friday 30th December at 8 am EST.
Posted by at 11 comments:
Labels: ,

Thursday, 31 March 2016

Tip FOUR - One Step at a Time

Welcome back to this weeks Tips for Homeschool Parents blog Hop. The first three tips for the week so far are:
  1. Become Equipped: Know What You Think and Why.
  2. Finding Your Rhythm  and keeping to it.
  3. Buy some Ice Cream - Dealing with difficult days.
Today I would like to talk about the journey.  Homeschooling is more than education.  It's about a journey. It's a journey that you, your spouse, your children and extended family are on.  This journey is more like a marathon than a sprint and as such you need to learn to pace yourself.


Homeschooling is about one small step at a time.  It's about building precept upon precept.  There is no need to hurry. It is far better to do a limited amount with excellence than it is to hurry because you've got too much to do and miss the depth and breadth of the experience.  Your children will be adults a lot faster than you know. Take time to savor the moments.

When you're having a tough day remember that tomorrow is a fresh new day, it's a gift. When that new day dawns it's a an opportunity to build a better and stronger relationship.  As you walk this journey,  don't sweat the small stuff.

Look at the bigger picture. What are your long term goals? Now choose your top two or three priorities for YOUR homeschool. Write them down, decide what you need to do to fulfill them and then begin the journey of one step at time to achieve them.

Do NOT let other homeschool families personal priorities high jack yours and get in the way. Every single family has there own personalities, dreams, hopes and aspirations.  Do not try to follow their dreams. You are who you are and it's not wise to clone your homeschool on someone else dreams. When you do that you set yourself up to be disappointed, frustrated and burned out.  Learn to be TRUE to Yourselves and who you are. This is the key to ultimate freedom and enjoying your homeschool journey.

I encourage you to slow down and enjoy the journey.  Guard your time and your energy,  and that of your children.  Do not feel that you need to do everything there is out there.  Your time and your energy are a limited resource and if you over extend them you will become burned out or your children will.  Consider well what you commit yourselves to do and the consequence on the whole family.

Becoming burned out is a very real issue among homeschool families.  I would like to encourage you to read the following articles for some ideas on how to manage your journey so as to maintain your stamina for the long term. 

5 Days of Tips for Homeschool ParentsThis post is part of the Schoolhouse Review Crew 5 Days of Tips for Homeschool Parents Blog Hop.  Blog posts from these bloggers will be going live between 8 am EST and Midday.

I invite you to grab a cup of tea and head on over to these bloggers to see their word of encouragement to you today.


Blessings
Chareen

If you're on Pinterest I encourage you to follow the board 5 Days of Tips for Homeschool Parents for some wonderful NEW content for your Homeschool Boards.

Follow Every Bed of Roses's board 5 Days of Tips for Homeschool Parents. on Pinterest.

Posted by at 4 comments:
Labels: , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)