Showing posts with label Homeschool Help. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Homeschool Help. Show all posts

Monday 8 February 2016

Be True To Yourself - Unlocking FREEDOM

This weekend while spending time with my sister she encouraged me saying:

 “Be true to yourself.” I have really been struggling with feelings of insecurity, yes even after 14 years (edit:18 years now)  of homeschooling!

As I went through my week my heart kept reaching for His. “Lord why do I feel this way ?”

and His reply kept echoing. “Be True To YOURSELF

“But Lord WHAT does that have to do with the way I feel ??”

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One of the root causes of my heartache was feeling as though I had somehow failed. I wondered why I felt this way? I have two children that have completed homeschool and are finding themselves and their place in the wider world and yet I feel as though I have not accomplished / completed something important.

As I pondered my feelings and via a conversation with a friend it became clearer. When I started homeschooling I was full of excitement and anticipation. I attended any and all homeschool meetings and listened avidly to all the conversations, diligently sought advice on different issues, carefully looked over anything new on the market, attended all the homeschool trips that fit our very tight budget and constantly strive to grow. It was all new and exhilarating. I looked forward to each monthly meeting, any homeschool conference and the fortnightly homeschool co-op meetings. Each time I heard what someone was doing that sounded wonderful I had added it to my list of what we were doing. I loved the results of what each of these families were doing and wanted that fruit for my family. As the years went by I began to become bone weary.

“Oh Lord I am sooo very tired, I just can’t anymore….”

The Lords answer was to pick me up and move me to another country…
This time it was from New Zealand to Australia.

Over time my strength returned but my heart still ached with inadequacy and His voice this week keeps saying: “Be true to YOURSELF

I have spent the last week meditating on His words to my spirit and looking back it has become clearer. I now know what He is saying to my heart. Each time I had attended a meeting I would take each of the homeschool Mom’s who in my eyes were successful and given them a place of authority in my life. I had taken their family vision and tried to add it to mine. I had given them too much authority to speak into my life. I had not taken the new idea to the Lord in prayer and had not asked Him if it was for us.

I now realise that if the Lord wanted ALL those things for my children He would have placed my children in those families. He did not. He chose my family and I had not been TRUE to myself and who HE had made me. I had added all these carbon copies and the burden was too heavy for me and for my children. I had been trying to mold myself to look like these super successful homeschool Moms.

In Colossians 3:1 it says: Set your hearts on things above. This is the key that is setting me free and healing my heart. I need to focus on Him and His design for my family and not strive in the flesh to perform. I had been trying to do all these things to be successful in the worlds eyes and had taken my eyes off HIM.

He has been reminding me to ask Him and He will show me. I need to Trust in Him with all of my heart and lean not on my own understanding. As I acknowledge Him in ALL my ways He will make my path straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6).

My encouragement to you is to take your eyes off your homeschool friends (especially the super successful ones), homeschool leaders and the latest trend and place them firmly on your Lord. He has a plan for you and it is a good plan.

In His word this week He reminded me: Come to me all you who are heavy laden and find rest for your souls (Matthew 11:28-30). If you are exhausted or feeling overwhelmed take some time. STOP what you are doing and write a list. Prayerfully take it before your Heavenly Father and seek His heart for your family.

Be TRUE to yourself and who He has made you. When He formed you He placed within you all you would need through Him to succeed at the task He has placed before you.

Blessings

Chareen

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A few years ago I wrote this post as a guest post. It's a post that is still relevant to me today.  My friend recently stopped blogging and has placed her blog on hold as her life journey has taken a new turn. I needed to refresh my heart on this truth and emailed her to see if she still had this writing.  She found it in her archives and has emailed it to me so that I may add it to my blog to refer to whenever I need reminding of His love for my family. This post was written about four years ago.

Monday 11 May 2015

Successful Homeschooling Made Easy Course {Review}

As a veteran homeschooling mom of sixteen years I'm always on the look out for excellent support material for new Mom's beginning their home education journey's.  Recently Stephanie Walmsley from Successful Homeschooling Made Easy blessed the Schoolhouse Review Crew with her Successful Homeschooling Made Easy Course for review.

Stephanie's goal with this e Course is help show that you can successfully home school, that it is easy, stress free thing to do with your family that you will enjoy homeschooling and avoid burnout.


What we received
Successful Homeschooling Made Easy Course which consists of twenty six weekly emails with a download link to a .pdf document ready for you to download.  Intermittently she sends bonus material to enrich your homeschooling.
  1. Start Homeschooling Today - this is a course introduction and overview along with how to make a workable schedule, samples and two ideas to put into your daily schedule so you can begin home educating. {26 pages}
  2.  Math Made Easy {15 pages}
  3. Welcome Home! This chapter is especially for the Mom who is bringing her children home from school.  It is full of beautiful letters from Home educating mothers who have done so and the things they wish they had known. {17 pages}
  4. Fireproof Your Homeschool - this chapter is a little more about your home school schedule. {14 pages}
  5. Three Key Ingredients for Success - this one is a little more introspective and great foundations.  Stephanie recommends some great resources. {11 pages}
  6. Fulfill Your Dreams -This one is all about taking care of Mom. {13 pages}
  7. Why Curriculum Doesn't Matter - It's all about curriculum {12 pages}
  8. Why you Might Need to Let Go of Good Things - Time Management {12 Pages}
  9. Housework and Homeschool - Let's get practical {16 pages}
  10. Make a New Full Schedule {21 pages}

How we used it
Signing up was very easy.  I was very impressed with how fast and smooth the process was.  I instantly received my welcome email from Stephanie. She writes in an easy conversational manner of a long time friend encouraging you.

The initial email you receive is a welcome letter comes with a note from Stephanie explaining how the course works and what to expect on your journey with Successful Homeschooling Made Easy {SHME}.
Each new email arrives around the same time each week and uses the following format..



The lessons opened in One Drive and .pdf format which I saved to my computer  I prefer reading from paper so I printed each lesson.  Once I have all 26 lessons and all the bonus material I will be taking my papers to have them ring bound at our local stationary store.

Each lesson follows the same pattern
  • 10 - 15 pages.  These are an easy read 
  • A Preface
  • Lesson for you to read
  • Questions for you to meditate on and anser
  • Lesson Summary
  • A 5 minute assignment
  • A note on what next weeks lesson will be on.
The 26 week time frame seemed a little long to me at first glance but as I have progressed through the course I can see it's value.  The pace means I am not overwhelmed and I feel as though I have a long term mentor walking the journey with me. 

It's gradual pace means that I'm implementing small changes which are having a lasting impact upon my home educating and there have been no sudden and dramatic changes here at home.  I am really looking forward to the remaining 16 lessons.

Often in homeschooling, we focus very much on the children and the teaching, and in particular, the teaching of academics. This is back-to-front thinking!- Stephanie
I just received Lesson ten this week and so far I am feeling encouraged and inspired as a homeschooling Mom.  Looking back over my home educating journey I wish I had had something like this to work through when I first started home educating it would have put many of my fears to rest and I would not have felt like I was groping in the dark.

Cost of Successful Homeschooling Made Easy
  • You have the option of once off payments or monthly installments.
  • One off Payments can be made in
    US dollars $48.50
    Pounds Sterling £30.60
    Australian Dollars $48.50
    New Zealand Dollars $48.50
  • SIX Monthly Payments are currently:
    US dollars $9.50
    Pounds Sterling £6.50
    Australian Dollars $9.50
    New Zealand Dollars $9.50
  • All payments go through PayPal
  • After payment, you will see a page asking for an email address for the course lessons and a button to get your first email sent immediately. You will then receive an email every week with a download link for your weekly PDF lesson 
Recommended Age Range
  • This course is for homeschooling parents.

Connect with Stephanie

Stephanie blogs over at Homeschool Family Life. You can find some FREE things, Homeschool products to purchase for your homeschool and other courses written by Stephanie. She has some amazing book lists in her Book Shelf section. You can also read a full Q & A section on Homeschooling Made Easy.


When you are feeling calm, peaceful and in control, you will have a calm, peaceful homeschooling family. - Stephanie
I love how this course is simplified and gives you concise information without overwhelming you.  Stephanie empowers you with her suggestions and add one small thing approach. 

You never feel overwhelmed and finish each weeks reading feeling refreshed and encouraged. I love how her approach is to help you find your own personal style and what works for your family.  She does not follow a cookie cutter approach to homeschooling.

As a veteran homeschooling Mom I have found this course valuable in that it has helped me return to basics and is helping me find balance again. I highly recommend this course to both Veteran home school Mom's and new Mom's alike.

Blessings
Chareen



Click to read Crew Reviews

Tuesday 14 April 2015

Homeschool Successfully When Life Happens {New Book}

I am so excited!  Today is the launch of a brand new eBook Homeschooling Successfully When Life Happens. Collectively, the authors are members of the Homeschool Blogging Connection. Individually, we are 15 homeschool moms sharing inspiring stories about how to homeschool through difficult situations.

It is our collective hope for homeschooling mom's everywhere to be encouraged in their homeschooling journey's.  No matter what your individual situation, know that you can homeschool, and do it well despite your circumstances.



Here are a few of the topics covered
  • Homeschooling without Chaos
  • Homeschooling During a Difficult Pregnancy
  • Homeschooling with ADHD
  • Homeschooling with Learning Challenges and Dyslexia
  • Homeschooling a Struggling Reader
  • Homeschooling and Adoption
  • Homeschooling with a Chronic Illness
  • Homeschooling for the Long Haul

For a limited time, you can purchase Homeschool Successfully When Life Happens for the introductory price of $3.99.


Plus, when you purchase before April 30th, you will receive three bonus products with your purchase, with a combined total retail value of $19.95.
  •  Fifteen beautiful posters.  Each one corresponds to a chapter in the book.
  • Bible study, prayer and quiet time pages from Momstoolbelt.com
  • Overcoming Obstacles to Homeschool Successfully Audio book from Mommy Jammies Night.
My passion is to encourage homeschool mom's that they can do this for the long haul and as such that is my contribution to the book.  I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the book in the comments OR join in the conversation on Facebook OR Instagram.

Blessings
Chareen

{This post contains affiliate links. This means that if you click on one of these links, I may earn a small commission on a purchase you make. Read my full disclosure policy.}

Monday 10 February 2014

HELP! How am I going to teach ... ?

One of the questions I have had over and over when people find out I am happy to homeschool the high school years is: "But how are you going to teach ________?"  Fill in the blank with any subject that comes to mind, science, math etc. I find that these fearful thoughts are fueled by negative school experiences and it's these negative mindsets that are the hardest to over come. Over the years I have come to realise that there are six hurdles every home educator faces when tackling a difficult to teach subject. 

The first hurdle is FEAR. I once read a great acronym for describing fear - False Evidence Appearing Real. For each and every one of us there is a subject out there that makes us quake in our shoes and rightly so. There are a couple of things to remember about any subject. Firstly it is impossible to teach/know everything there is to know about it due to the information explosion age we live in and if we all could do everything we wouldn't need one another.  This is where co-ops and support groups come into play.  Networking to find resources to help us teach any subject is a must.  When my first two students were in the high school years (the internet was a limited resource) and came unstuck in math I would approach the high school math teacher at our church for a quick tutorial and we would continue.  After we moved away I discovered Teaching Textbooks and now I have a math tutor on call 24/7 living in my house on the DVD disks supplied.

The second hurdle is Confession.  So many homeschool families quit because they think to say HELP we are stuck in this or that subject area is somehow a confession of failure. To say I don't know how to do something takes courage. We look at other 'successful' home educators and assume they do it all, and somehow that makes us a failure.  95% of the time these other families are using a co-op of some sort or a tutor (on line or in real life).  No two families are the same and each one has it's own set of needs to be met.  What works for one family may not necessarily work for yours.  The secret is to keep asking until you find the key that unlocks it for your family. While this can be time consuming it is worth the effort it takes.


The third hurdle is a Negative Mindset towards any given subject born out of your own personal experience with said subject. One thing to be careful of is passing on this mindset to your children.  If they have never been to school then they don't know that it's too hard or uninteresting.  Leave it to them to discover which.  It's your job to facilitate learning not predetermine if it's good or bad.  A great answer for any question you can not answer is to say: "That's a good question, I don't know the answer let's find out together." and then make an effort to find out.  Be aware some things may be way out of both your leagues to understand but that is not the point.  The point is go on a journey of discovery together.  You may be surprised to learn that you actually enjoy (dare I say it out loud ?) Algebra or Chemistry or Quantum physics ...

The fourth hurdle is Burnout/exhaustion. Teaching complex difficult to understand subjects requires energy and a fresh mind.  If you are burnt out, exhausted or just feeling overwhelmed and stressed it's time to look at your routine.  Home education is a marathon.  This is not a sprint to the finish line. It is day in and day out, year in and year out.  Mama if you are not looking after yourself you are heading for trouble. You are doing no one in your world a favour by neglecting yourself. I once heard a high school Mom complaining about how much energy it takes to keep up and I thought she was crazy (I had preschoolers at the time nothing could be as taxing as preschoolers could it ?)  Yes there is.  The teen years are far more taxing on any parent than the preschool/baby years.  It's mentally and emotionally taxing.  If you are not looking after yourself you will not keep up. You need a good healthy dose of self care each and every week.  If possible schedule in an hour a day.  Keep it going through the high school years.  Our tendency is to drop these scheduled time of rest/time out in the high school years.  Do not keep do that.  Keep them scheduled.  It's good for you and it's good for your children too.  Go to bed early.  You need at least 8-9 hours of sleep on a regular basis.  I've done the burnout thing and recovery is not easy it takes a long time to recover.

The fifth hurdle is Google or what ever you use to access information on the web.  Home education and the internet have met up with each other to form a rather profitable marriage.  While this is good for home educational businesses it's really bad for the home educator who has no hands on experience and does not know what works for which particular situation.  In today's internet driven world even homeschool networking is mainly done online via forums rather than in homes with hands on support. On one hand this is great as we have an unlimited supply of advice at our finger tips, the counter balance is we don't have anyone who knows us and our children who can support us.  I am one of those very blessed home educators who home schooled for the first ten years without the internet and with a hands on support group.  So I've had the best of both worlds online and face to face support. I would encourage you to find real people to sit and have cups of tea with. Go from home to home within the group and see first hand how systems work then you will be better equipped to make decisions on what will or will not work for your family.  Then tackle Google and ask.

The sixth and final hurdle is Pinterest. For some of us Pinterest can be a source of anxiety and discontent and for others it's a paradise found. There are some amazing free resources and ideas to be found here.  The problem is that the ideas are limitless and can end up paralyzing you to action. When using pinterest remember these are simply ideas to try out. If you choose to look for answers here don't get too hung up on the perfection displayed by others.  Remember it's a cyber world where we can portray anything we want to any way we want to.  Nothing is as perfect as it seems.  Use with caution and enjoy.

Where do you go or what do you do when you struggle to teach something ?

Blessings
Chareen

Subject StruggleThis post is part of The Schoolhouse Crew Carnival this week called The Subject I Struggle Teaching Most.

Thank you to  Natara at Stockphoto for the knowledge image. 

Tuesday 10 December 2013

Our Year in Review {2013}


I can't believe that there are only three weeks left in 2013!  This week has been super busy with the launch of the new crew year.  Meeting the new ladies on the team, organizing all the behind the scenes things that need to take place in order to bring what's new in the curriculum world.  Changing things up on Pinterest and planning for the year ahead...

I have been a little stunned by this being the final Homeschool Help post for 2013! This is edition 30 of the series and it's a reflective one.  It feels like the other day that I shared about our year in review for 2012.

This year has seen some great changes in our homeschool.  I have been challenged and stretched in a good way by my fellow Homeschool Help crew who have inspired me to grow and think more deeply about the things that are a part of our home education journey and to them I say thank you so very much you have made my life so much richer with your insight and wisdom.  Keep blogging and sharing of yourselves.  To Savannah I say thank you so much for the opportunity this year to be a part of this journey.

For Sir N we were both a part of the Schoolhouse Review Crew and with that territory came new experiences.  Together we reviewed
  • Two Apps
  • 5 Books
  • 11 curriculum's
We each had our definite favourites and altogether it's been a wonderful experience and I am truly blessed to have been a part of the crew journey for 2012.

I participated in two 5 day blog hops

Sir N and I still did a few field trips and sadly many of them did not make it onto the blog this year.  A thing I am planning to change in 2014, so watch this space. Field Tips is something I feel quite strongly about as it's a wonderful way to use your environment to grow in relations. Some of the trips we did do are
  • We went to Melbourne central at night to see the Christmas lights
  • Went to see Melvin Tix in concert
  • Attended a workshop in the Melbourne Botanical Gardens
  • A couple of trips to the zoo
  • Did our annual Night Zoo trip
  • Attended three science days at a highschool science lab 
  • Saw the Claude Monet exhibition
  • Started a trip to the Simpson Desert.  Sadly this was cancled a week in due to my brothers car catching on fire ... 
  • We went to witness an Annular Solar Eclipse in Balarat.
  • Attended a Not Back to School Party
  • We went to a stage production to see Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.  This was simply marvelous and if it comes your way do go see it.
  • We also went to see Cinderella the ballet for children.  I hope to do this again.
  • We also attended a few Melbourne Symphony Orchestra things which was amazing and has broadened my horizons tremendously.
  • The Immigration Museum
  • A day at The Shrine of Remembrance
  • We explored the first cathedral in Melbourne: St James Old Cathedral.
  • Sir N had the privilege of releasing some Bandicoots at Werribee Open Range Zoo with his Dad.
All in all it's been a busy but fruitful year.  Looking back has helped me appreciate just how blessed we are as a family and for that I am grateful.  Taking time to count these blessings has renewed my enthusiasm for home educating and I look forward to many more adventures in 2014.  I would love to hear about your year and some of the high lights that have encouraged you.  If you have blogged about it please leave a link so I can come and read or leave a comment telling me which thing was your favourite.

Chareen

This post is part of the Homeschool Help series brought to you by a group of home school Mom's from around the globe.  Do not forget to visit and read their inspirational insight.



This week
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Thank you to Free Digital Images for the 2013 image by Idea Go

Tuesday 3 December 2013

Our Top 6 Favorite Chapter Read-Alouds


I have so many read aloud chapter books that are my favourite that it was very hard to narrow down the list to 6!  This list is in no way our only favourites but they are some we have enjoyed recently and some are ones that spring to mind when thinking of read alouds I read to my oldest two years ago. I would love to know what are your favourite read alouds.


Little Britches Series 
Author Ralph Moody. 
The Ralph Moody Collection has been one of the most amazing journey's we have undertaken as a family.  My older two roses would sit waiting at the window for daddy to come home and when he arrived would race out to the car begging "Daddy PLEASE read to us!"

 Carry on, Mr. Bowditch
Author Jean Lee Latham
This is one of those sit on the edge of your seat historical novels.  It is excellently written.  Interestingly enough when we looked up Nathaniel Bowditch in our encyclopedia set it recommend this book as the number one resource on his life. It was also awarded the John Newberry Medal.
Handel: At the Court of Kings
Series Great Musician Series Book Collection

This is the first chapter book on great musicians that we've ever read and we really enjoyed every minute of our music study.  There are a total of 16 musicians covered in this series.




Follow My Leader
Author James B. Garfield
It's a story revealing the consequences of our actions at the same time giving us a hope for the future. We walk with Jimmy as he learns to forgive and go with him on a journey as to what it would be like to be blind.

The Phantom Tollbooth
Author Norton Juster

This book is amazing !  If you love reading then this is a must for your shelf.  It is so much fun.  I enjoyed the play on words and the literal use of words.  It is so very cleverly written. Every page is a play on words and the linguistic talent of the author is so very enjoyable. 

Little Lord Fauntleroy
Author Frances Hodgson Burnett

For beautiful language and character rich books I highly recommend the books by Frances Hodgson Burnett.  When I asked him which book was his favorite read aloud so far he named this book.  The story of a young man destined for great things. Born into poverty yet a prince.  An excellent read aloud for the whole family.

Chareen

This post is part of the Homeschool Help series brought to you by a group of homeschool Mom's from around the globe.  Do not forget to visit and read their inspirational insight.



This week
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Tuesday 26 November 2013

Our Favorite Picture Book Read-Alouds


Over the years I have shared some of the treasures that are on my shelves and some of the ones discovered during my frequent trips to the library in my Tuesday's Treasures posts. 

Looking for our favourites was a little difficult as we have so many we like to revisit. Isn't  that what living books are all about ?  Here are 6 of our recent favourites and some we often go back to
A Boy, A Dog & A Frog

I love this little book so much.  The line drawings are so beautiful. It was written more than 25 years ago and holds it's character so well.  It's one of those books that will be around for year s to come. This is the tale of a little boy and his dog and the adventures they get up to when they spot a frog on their fishing adventure. Can they catch him with their net ? I don't know you will need to get this little book to find out.

Pages 32 pages ISBN 13: 9780803728806 ISBN 10: 0803728808
Author: Mercer Mayer


A Country Far Away 
This is another treasure discovered this year at the library. It's written by Nigel Gray about the lives of two children on opposite sides of the world and shows how similar we really are.  Each page is divided in two the top half illustrates the one child's world and the bottom the other with the words of the story which are applicable to both running through the center.

Pages:32  ISBN 10:0980876028  ISBN 13:9780980876024
Author: Nigel Gray    Illustrator: Philippe Dupasquier

 Katie and the Waterlily Pond
The Katie books are just beautiful books written and illustrated by James Mayhew.  In this book Katie discovers Five Monet Masterpieces on her magical journey.

Pages: 32 ISBN: 978-1-40830-464-8
Author  James Mayhew  Illustrator: James Mayhew




Hairy Maclary's Caterwaul Caper
For rhyme and rhythm nothing beats a Lynley Dodd book along with Hairy Maclary.  His antics will have you giggling with your children. Her illustrations are marvelously mischievous. The pictures and words combine to tell the story, each picture contains vital information contributing to the story and invites exploration by the reader
Pages 31  ISBN 9780140508734
Author: Lynley Dodd Illustrator: Lynley Dodd


Look-Alikes - The More you Look the More you See!
This book is amazing. Joan uses everyday objects in ingenious ways to create three dimensional scenes. There are hundreds of look alike items to find on each and every page.  This book is guaranteed to keep you busy for days trying to discover each items double use.

Pages 32    ISBN 13: 9780316713481 ISBN 10: 0316713481
Author: Joan Steiner 

  Three Cheers for Inventors! 
This is a picture book for older studnets. This year I discovere the author illustrator Marcia Williams. This book is written in a comic format. She has written a few  with Shakespears plays, Charles Dickens, Robin Hood, Noah's Ark and The Iliad and the Odyssey to name a few.  We have loved all her books so far.

Pages: 40 ISBN: 140630171X ISBN 13: 9781406301717
Author  Marcia Williams  Illustrator: Marcia Williams


What are your families favourite picture books ?  I would love to know :)


Blessings

Chareen

This post is part of the Homeschool Help series brought to you by a group of homeschool Mom's from around the globe.  Do not forget to visit and read their inspirational insight.


This week
 ---ooOoo---

Tuesday 19 November 2013

Homeschool Burnout

Homeschool burnout is one of those things we all experience somewhere along the line as home educators.  Those feeling of being overwhelmed and just not wanting to carry on yet in our hearts we know that is not true but our fickle feelings seem to tell us on occasion we are done for.  There are many signs and sypmtoms of being burned out and there are many posts out there telling us to just get over it and keep going.  The truth is we all need a helping hand and some encouragement.  My favourite self help for the times I'm over whelmed is practicing Mother Culture and if you want to know more practical ideas of implementing this in your home take a read of: How Important is Alone Time and Home Schooling ? .  Here are some further thoughts on homeschool burnout.

Symptoms
  • Feelings of being inadequit (above the norm)
  • Exhaustion 
  • Depression type emotions
  • Wanting to run away and put the kids back in school
  • Do you suffer from CHAOS {Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrom} due to the state of your home.
  • Short fused ?  Constantly frustrated/angry with the children ?
  • Feelings of being overwhelmed
  • A lack of hope or enthusiasm.
  • Feelings of anger and resentment towards members of the family
Help
  • Sleep are you getting enough ? Did you know "Sleeping only 4-5 hours a night induces mental impairment equivalent to a blood alcohol level above the legal driving limit." - Dr. Caroline Leaf 
  • Exercise such as a stroll will greatly improve your mental state and allow the household to enjoy the great out doors.
  • Do you practice Mother Culture on a regular basis ? Regular means just that regular or daily. 
  • Think seasonally. One interest per season, coupled with thirty minutes of reading a day, may be all that is needed to keep up the Mother Culture and regain any lost enthusiasm for living - Karen Andreola
  • Get some home help. Hire a teen to babysit for an hour if you have small children.  If you need the ironing taken care of hire a teen to spend a couple of hours a week assisting you.
  • Find a good support group of like minded homeschool mothers.  Take the time to go out and participate in fellowship with these woman.  The group I'm with meets fortnightly and has a cup of tea while the children play together.
  • Read a few good books to support you as a homeschool mom.
  • STOP partaking in the comparison game.  That is one merry go round you do not need to ride.  As home educating families we are individual and thus each and every familiy has different needs and ways of doing things.  If you are trying to do things the same as someone else you will burnout.
  • Take 15 min a day to organise.
  • Take a good look at your expectations ?  Are they realistic or idealistic ?
  • Put perfectionism on the shelf

On the www
Charlotte Mason advised the teacher to replenish her soul with a continual supply of ideas. ...stimulates your educational thought in many directions and keeps you from drifting into mere routine... Do not think this is a selfish thing to do, because the advantage does not end with yourself."


Blessings

Chareen

This post is part of the Homeschool Help series brought to you by a group of homeschool Mom's from around the globe.  Do not forget to visit and read their inspirational insight.



This week
 ---ooOoo---

Tuesday 12 November 2013

To Grade or Not To Grade

Grading your students work as a home educator is a highly personal choice unless your state/country requires that you submit grades in which case it's a must. Some subjects lend themselves to easy grading and others are more subjective such as poetry or composition.

One of the things to take into consideration when grading a students work is their personality.  Some students love the challenge and others can't stand feeling like they are constantly failing. Some see the glass half full and others half empty.  Some students find watching you grade their work exciting and others see only doom and gloom as you do so.  Take this into account when grading. Do not expose a students grades to others keep it personal.  Very few people (and this includes both the adult or student) cope well with being put on the spot unless it's favorable.

Personally I do not write down grades.  I am however constantly grading where my student is mentally so that I know what I need to teach, I know where his strengths and weaknesses lie. It's important for us as home educators to be aware of exactly where our students are.  I do grade spelling and math as these are two subjects that are not subjective in nature.  They are either correct or incorrect.

Pro's to grading
  • A grade indicates the level of mastery or the level of information your student has not learned 
  • It gives you a concrete yard stick of progress
  • It can help our student learn more when they know they are being measured.
  • It prepares your student for college
  • College admissions
  • Obtain a scholarships

Cons to grading
  • It can become overwhelming if you are grading every single thing your student is doing.  You loose the ability to simply be immersed and enjoy the journey with your student.
  • You can end up distorting the grade by creating a test around what you have taught.
  • You can feel you are 'boxing' your student in.
Is grading biblical
Yes it is.  On a number of occasions the Lord tested kings and even his disciples.
  • Jesus asked Phillip to provide bread for the multitude, and in John 6:5 And then in John 6:6 it says “He asked this only to test him, for He already had in mind what He was going to do.”
  • God tested Abraham in Genesis 22:1-3
  • He used their enemies to test them in Israel Judges 3
  • God tested the men for Gideon Judges 7:4
These are a few examples of testing in scripture.

On the www
I'll finish off with a quote that is important for us to remember when tackling the grade issue
Homeschooling is all about finding the heartbeat of your family and following that pace—not your neighbor’s, not your best homeschooling buddy’s, and not the grade level expectations for your child’s age.- Sarah over at Simple Homeschool
Tell me more about your decision to grade or not to grade ?

Blessings
Chareen

This post is part of the Homeschool Help series brought to you by a group of home school Mom's from around the globe.  Do not forget to visit and read their inspirational insight.



This week
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Tuesday 5 November 2013

Our Rhythm - Year Round Schooling

One of the things that home educating families struggle with is knowing that they do NOT need to follow school terms. For some reason most families I meet feel they need to follow school terms in order to know they are doing enough school. You have the freedom to schedule your year to best suit your individual families needs. Successfully homeschooling starts with a plan.

I've been on the home education journey now for 15 years and one of the best decisions we made as a family was to switch to a five week schedule (4 weeks of school followed by 1 week of rest) about eight years ago.  We had switched to doing ATI which follows this rotation and after the first five weeks as the saying goes we never looked back.

One word of caution when making a schedule.  Take a calendar and mark it down.  Plan it. Mark it. Then, Follow it.  I once tried winging it without scheduling it and that led to no rhythm and us falling a little behind in our school work and then we ended up on the other extreme with schooling too long and becoming burnt out.

School terms were not a problem.  We let the neighbour hood children know they could only come over to play after lunch.  During school holidays we made sure we were done by then.  It was a great incentive for the children.

Benefits
  • 7 weeks of holidays at the end of the year
  • A 36 week school year breaks down in to 9 five week rotations totaling 45 weeks of the year.
  • Homeschool burnout became a thing of the past providing I practice Mother Culture
  • The week off provides time to unwind/rest.  It's long enough to rest but short enough that the kids do not 'forget' what they've been learning. I found it easy to get going again with our weekly rhythm.
  • I find that children are not left with super long holiday breaks that provide ample opportunity for boredom
  • Four weeks of school is long enough for the children and I to put 100% into our school work without running out of energy.  I do confess though I am well and truly ready for a rest after those 20 days of school. Our energy levels are never stretched to it's limit because we take the opportunity to rest regularly.
  • The 7 extra weeks gives us enough time to have two, two week breaks after each 12 weeks of school (three 5 week rotations) followed by a full 5 week Christmas break. 
  • The Flexibility to choose our schedule.  One that suits our needs, I am able to look at the big picture. Paul works as a public servant and therefore has to work most public holidays depending on his schedule.  (6 days at work 3 days at home) We also like taking our holidays when school is in session and make use of term discounts.
  • Here in Australia schools run from February to December so my schedule works well.
Consider
  • What are the legal requirements in your country (Australia)?
  • What are the ages of your children ?
  • Health concerns ? Dr appointments ? 
  • New Baby coming ?
  • Planned holidays ?
Else Where on the Net


Blessings

Chareen

This post is part of the Homeschool Help series brought to you by a group of homeschool Mom's from around the globe.  Do not forget to visit and read their inspirational insight.



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Tuesday 22 October 2013

From School to Homeschool

This weeks topic is: Your Top 3 Suggestions for Someone who Pulled Child out of School Mid Year.  Earlier this year I worked with two students (aged eight and ten) who came home to home educated for a couple of months.  This was an interesting experience.  In New Zealand our home school support group leader often would counsel mom's to simply leave the academics on the shelf for the first few months and settle into being at home full time.  I now know why. It was a lot more tricky than I anticipated.  School method was the norm and made sitting and learning together a challenge. Doing written work was done with the attitude to tick the box get it right and move on rather than learn. From this I learned the value of taking time to Detox from School

When bringing a student home from public school to the home school environment it is a time of transition.  They are accustomed to doing things in a classroom setting and learning in order to pass a test.  Home Education does not function in this manner and as such can be a challenge and or a frustration for a public school child to adjust too.  There are so many factors that change in their world. There are many things that they will be learning and the first of these things are new relationships and learning to acquire knowledge.

Benefits of time off
  • Take time to Detox from School
  • Build new routines. Take time to work together on running the home and learning to slow down from the hurry from here to there. Learn to live outside of the 'school run' rhythm. Your children need to find a healthy pace and you need to discover what the best is for them.
  • Get to know your student.  While you think you know them and they think they know you, you will only begin to know each other after the honeymoon period ends. Spend time cooking, cleaning and playing educational games together.  Find what clicks for your child.  Through simple acts of shopping (adding up what's in the trolley) paying for groceries etc you will quickly learn where your student is performing mathematically. Going to a few museums will soon enlighten you on what they do or do not know. Read a few books and gain a feel for where their personal learning curve is.
  • Character Counts.  While at school our children are not always in the presence of someone in authority who has the same values that you do in your home.  It will take a while to reestablish good healthy habits and strong positive character.  Only by spending time with your child will you find out what they need help with.  Is it being kind ? Obedient ? Gentle ? Generous ? 
  • Have fun together :)
 Things to do before coming home
  • Find out about the laws in your country and fill out the correct paper work (Read Here for Australian requirements)
  • Find a mentor who will support and encourage you
  • Get a few books and educate yourself (here are my top 5)
  • Don't buy the first curriculum you find! Take some time to become acquainted with some of the methods and curriculum out there.  Remember Curriculum is your SERVANT not your master.
 On the Web
I have never had a student in the public system and only helped home educate two young friends for a limited time.  Please take some time to read what my friends have to share

Blessings
Chareen
This post is part of the Homeschool Help series brought to you by a group of home school Mom's from around the globe.  Do not forget to visit and read their inspirational insight.



This week
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Tuesday 15 October 2013

Seeking to Learn a New Language

This weeks topic has me a little at a loss for words.  Personally I speak two languages (English and Afrikaans) and understand three more (Flemish easily, Dutch and German (if spoken slowly)). How I came to reading, writing and speaking a second language fluently was through immersion.  When I was five years old we moved across the country from beautiful Cape Town to Pretoria and our neighbours were Afrikaans families.  Through friendships I learned to speak and understand Afrikaans fluently.  Due to this I feel that immersion at a young age is the easiest and fastest way to learn a second language.

Having said all this however, it is not that easy when you live in a country that is English. I have searched for an online programm for young students in vain.  This is the ONE home school product sorely lacking world wide.  All the programs I have looked at need a student to be at a grade three to four level before commencing second language studies.

Personally I really really like Rosetta Stone products and this is the program we will be using to learn French as soon as Sir N is reading a little more fluently.   

Choosing a second Language
There were a number of factors I took into consideration when choosing French as our second (my third) language.  In Australia Chinese (Mandarin) is often the language of choice as we are really close the Asian market geographically.  I chose not to study this as you can not use it world wide.  The two languages that I looked at were French and Spanish. In the end we settled on French as it is spoken in more countries in the world than Spanish and if we do ever travel internationally it would serve us well. I chose not to teach my children Afrikaans as this language is only spoken in South Africa and can only be understood in Finland and some parts of Holland.

When looking at second language options be sure to ask yourself why that particular language and when your child will ever use it ?

Is Latin a second Language ?
That depends on how you view it.  In one sense it is and in another no because it is not actively spoken in any one country in the world today.  Having said this it is a root language to English and will help your student to understand and perform in the language arts arena far more easily with a basic knowledge of it.  In the science fields it is well and truly alive and will serve your student well to have a working knowledge of it for the high school years.

Resources
Can you recommend a French program for young students ?

Blessings
Chareen
This post is part of the Homeschool Help series brought to you by a group of home school Mom's from around the globe.  Do not forget to visit and read their inspirational insight.


This week
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Crisis image courtesy of Free Digital Photo's -  Sheelamohan