May24

The end at last

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The end at last

Homeschool Mother's Journal

Well, we did it! We finished up first grade and kindergarten—final report cards and all.

Even though we have not yet had our official end, our end of the year celebration, Oldest finished his last first grade math lesson and test last week, and we’ve absolutely, totally felt like summer-time ever since.

Right now, all of our “school” has been preparing for our unit celebration and end of the year party—reviewing flashcards for our trivia game and completing projects for display and presentations. It’s been a fun way to review and wrap up the year, very unstructured and unschool-ish.

Middlest is working on some Roman paper dolls, and together we made a very simple diorama for her to place her dolls in.

Roman Paper Dolls and Diorama

Roman Paper Dolls and diorama

Oldest decided he wanted to tell the story of the Punic Wars. He’s really gotten into the Hannibal and Scipio conflict. So we made an over-sized map (the one he’s been studying with magnets) and he’s setting up the battle with medieval men, legos, and toy elephants. It’s going to be an action-packed retelling.

Punic Wars Map and Presentation

Meanwhile, I’ve already been super busy planning the next year. Our state’s book fair is today (Eek! Today!!! I’m so excited), so I’ve been tweaking spreadsheets and comparison charts that I’ve been working on for months now. I go to a book fair with lists, prices, and diagrams all ready.

I’ve also gotten to a few household projects that have been looming over me for awhile, like going through all the winter clothes and outgrown items.

It’s been a more relaxed, yet very productive kind of week. But next week is a different story. Next week, I’m going to be like Moley from Wind in the Willows. I’ll say “Hang it” with all the projects; let’s go outside!

May22

A “Trip” to the Beach with Art

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A “Trip” to the Beach with Art

Beach Scene Chalk Pastels

I’m loving chalk pastel art and the free tutorials over at Hodgepodge. We’re new to the scene, just dusting our fingers with it, but already in love.

Our latest project was a beach scene, a perfect beginner lesson. The tutorial is very step-by-step, and the results are impressive.

Chalk Pastel Art

So is the mess, but my little helpers have been very good about wiping up after the lesson.

I wanted to walk you through some of my reservations about using chalk pastels, just in case someone else out there is hesitant to take the plunge.

First, purchasing art supplies—real art supplies, not just crayola and elmer’s—made me a little skeptical. I mean, my kids are 6 and 4. It’s hard to justify the REAL stuff. But I’ve been pleasantly surprised. Chalk pastels and some newsprint paper were relatively inexpensive, definitely no more than the crayola/elmer category.

Then, there was the issue of taking care of the REAL stuff. I have to be honest, knowing the state of most of our crayons, I was very hesitant about REAL chalk. The kids did excellent during our first lesson; of course, I was harping at their elbows about being gentle. But our most recent lesson did in a number of our brand new chalks. Which is when I discovered that what I feared really wasn’t all that bad. The chalks broke, the earth kept rotating, and we all moved on.

Time was another factor. If dragging it out and cleaning it up took too much time, it just wasn’t going to happen very often around here. So I timed this last lesson, start to finish, to know just how long it took. To my utter surprise, it took almost exactly 20 minutes from donning the plastic GLAD bag aprons to wiping up the last specks of dust. Even I can do a 20 minute (including clean-up) art lesson.

Another question I had was wondering if my kids would be capable of this kind of art. And I’ve discovered what everyone keeps blogging about, that this art medium really is perfect for little ones because it is so forgiving. The kids have a great time with it. Oldest has a precise project that turns out very closely to the original we are following, and Middlest has lots of freedom to create. And I’ll admit, I’m having a blast, too.

Beach by 6 year old

Beach by my meticulous 6 year old

Beach by my creative 4 year old

Beach by my creative 4 year old

I am so glad I took the plunge into chalk pastel art. It’s going to be a great summer.

May15

Flowering Baby: A Curriculum for Your Youngest

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Flowering Baby: A Curriculum for Your Youngest

Disclaimer: I received this product for free in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated in any way for a positive review, and all of these opinions are my own.

Flowering Baby CurriculumI have been casually searching for learning ideas for my littlest. When I stumbled upon Flowering Baby, I was instantly intrigued.

Flowering Baby is a curriculum of “whole child development” activities for children birth to five years old. The curriculum is about $30 for each year’s worth of lessons (organized by age: birth to one, one to two, two to three, and four to five).

I received the “One to Two” curriculum for free for this review and was able to begin at month 13 with my little guy. Each month includes titles of books to read to your baby, a classical composer to listen to, some finger-play/nursery rhymes to listen to, as well as an assortment of activity ideas that include everything from language skills and muscle development to painting and exploring.

Each month lists all books, music, and supplies needed. Most titles are available at a library or can be substituted with books from home. And the supplies are simple things that I usually had on hand.

Each month lists all books, music, and supplies needed. Most titles are available at a library or can be substituted with books from home. And the supplies are simple things that I usually had on hand.

We’ve been using this product for a couple of months, and I have loved this curriculum for two reasons. First, I love having special one-on-one time with my little one because, honestly, it’s easy for him to get forgotten in the rush to get the big kid’s lessons out of the way. Or, I tend to occupy him rather than really play with him. This curriculum gives me a very focused 15-20 minutes with him, just him! I actually send the big kids away and focus just on him. We both enjoy this time immensely.

Second reason I love Flowering Baby are for the ideas. Even as an “experienced” mother of three (that’s a joke, by the way), I often get in ruts and don’t immediately think of ways to challenge and build his little skills. Flowering Baby gives me ideas (about 25 lessons a month) and inspires me with my own variations on those ideas. It helps me to realize what he is probably capable of attempting, something that’s easy to lose track of as time flies by. Many times, I would read the plans and think “oh, he can’t do that yet” only to be amazed that he actually could (and loved trying)!

Also, Flowering Baby is teaching me! The language lessons, especially, have taught me practical things like how to talk to my baby, what to talk about, what to point out in a picture, etc. Motor skills were also surprising lessons for me, like teaching my baby to kneel rather than his default sprawl position that is hard on his little hips.

Then, there’s the fun—hide a toy; teach direction words by placing a toy under, over, beside, etc; “fold” laundry together; find faces in books and magazines; get a mirror out and look at our faces together; and so much more!

My little laundry helper. He also likes to "help" unload the dishwasher.

My little laundry helper. He also likes to “help” unload the dishwasher.

Just a note, I did not follow this as a step-by-step lesson, though you could. I looked through the ideas several times during a month to get ideas for our next time together and then put it away. I knew which books to read, and he quickly found his favorites. All of us enjoyed the classical music selections, which we listened to using the free Naxos app on my ipod (comes with several free playlists that coordinate with this curriculum).

Littlest's new favorite book

Littlest’s new favorite book

And because I can only take so much mess, I modified some of the ideas to fit us. For instance, one activity was to practice pouring rice or beans. I had nightmarish visions of what this would look like, so I instead opted for our pouring lesson to be at bath time with water in the tub. Instead of painting (I tried this at Christmas for grandma gifts and am still in need of therapy), I opted for crayons.

But customizing this curriculum was really what made it a winner for me. Their ideas bred so many other ideas. If the lessons called for feeling different textured squares, I instantly thought of textures throughout our day—when we went on nature walks, when we were standing outside the restaurant waiting to be seated, or wherever we were. I loved that the lessons helped me to focus and weave in his learning during the whole day.

Littlest enjoyed creating with crayons (much sooner than my older kids did).

Littlest enjoyed creating with crayons (much sooner than my older kids did).

Our sensory bottle made from adding a beaded necklace and water.

Our sensory bottle made from adding a beaded necklace and water.

Is it worth the $30? If you’re trying to justify $30 on your little one, I’d ask you to price some of the toys in his toy box. Most likely, a couple of those (that he probably doesn’t even play with) would easily have cost you $30. And you will get a lot more out of this purchase than a new toy that he will probably quickly lose interest in anyway. Honestly, I wish I’d had this as a new mom to use with my other two children.

Also, keep in mind that this is not a list of ideas to keep your baby busy so that you can do something else. These activities require you sitting down with your baby. Many of them require you to closely supervise your baby as he explores.

Want to check it out for yourself? The website has great samples to preview for each age. The Flowering Baby curriculum is sold on CD or as a downloadable PDF (I printed mine  and bound it myself to have a hardcopy). You can purchase the curriculum at the Flowering Baby store or on Currclick.com.

I’m looking forward to continuing with this curriculum, and I’m looking forward to more special “baby” moments with Littlest throughout this year.

Disclaimer: I received this product for free in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated in any way for a positive review, and all of these opinions are my own.

May13

A Holy Calling

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A Holy Calling

Missional Mothering

To be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.–Titus 2:4-5

Pause for a moment and allow yourself to paint an honest picture of what you see when you think of a significant, influential life. Is it leading Ladies Ministries? Is it going on missions trips? Is it a promotion at your job? Is it a huge following on Twitter, Facebook, your blog?

Now, evaluate that picture and evaluate where your family is in that picture. Are they an obstacle you steer around? Are they a show-piece for your “greater” calling? Are they a “means” rather than an “end”?

If you have trouble recognizing the significance of what you do inside your home, here’s my suggestion. Turn off the voices of this world that tell you that you must be smarter, prettier, or more career-oriented; and listen closely to the Holy Spirit of God, who whispers that your calling is a holy calling given to you by God Himself.

Whatever you encounter today, seek to see the task as a holy calling, set apart to bring glory to the HOLY ONE. Is it submitting to your husband’s plans, or sacrificing to be his help meet? That selflessness is not “enlarging your husband’s ego” as the world would stamp it; it’s bringing glory to the One who chose to wash 12 pairs of dirty feet–including those of His betrayer. Is your calling comforting the persistent cries and fears of your children, meeting their ever-demanding needs? Remember the One who has promised to supply all of your needs and model that to the little ones who will one day have to transfer their neediness from you to Him.

There is a holiness, a sacredness, a significance to what the Lord has called us to. Let us serve Him faithfully in that hallowed place we call “home.”

May10

A Nose full of Spring

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A Nose full of Spring

Homeschool Mother's JournalThe sun finally broke through the clouds this week after a long rainy spell. Rainy days are hard; lots of rainy days are really hard. Lots of rainy days and a teething baby are the hardest. Everyone has been out of sorts. So when the sun showed up this week, I could hear the “hallelujah chorus.”

And of course, I sent the kids outside immediately. Even if we did have math and history to finish up, there would have been no point in forcing learning with all of the pent up energy in our house. I felt like kids were pouring out of every door and window to get into that sunshine, but it was just my two and all the noise that comes with them.

And Littlest pounded on the door, peaking out at their joy. Of course, we had to go for a walk and let him breathe in that fresh goodness. Except that with all of the freshness came our next mortal enemy—allergies. I’m only slightly exaggerating. Allergies at my house are extreme, and they start young. While Oldest takes after me and only ever shows the slightest symptoms, Middlest was put on Zyrtec at 6 months and each spring we revisit the same misery. My husband, even after taking regular doses of allergy medicine for months now, is swollen, stuffy, and nearly incapacitated. And Littlest looks like he’s going to join the club, too. He rode along in his stroller with tears and snot just streaming down his face, as happy as a lark.

They are all happy, snotty but very happy.

So when Middlest asked me why she was “sick,” I told her she’s just got spring up her nose. She seems okay with that. For right now, I am too, especially when the alternative is bringing all that exuberance back inside.

Anyone else have the problem of nature lovers with allergies? Any advice for easing the symptoms without forgoing the outdoors? I’d love your comments!

Linking up with the Homeschool Mother’s Journal.

May8

Overcoming Together

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Overcoming Together

There are definitely challenges to homeschooling. There are days when no matter how you explain it, your child just won’t understand. There are days when tears seem unavoidable. There are days when you never get to the fun art projects and learning games you had intended for the day. There are days when all of us can’t wait for lunch.

I try my best to make learning fun, but I also try not to deceive myself by thinking that every day will be a fun day in the school room. Some days, I can’t wait to send my kids outside to play.

But I’m learning (and I by no means have this lesson down yet) that I have two choices on those hard days. I can either fight against my child and force-feed each lesson, or I can come alongside and overcome with him.

Our battles will either be “me against my child” or “us against the problem.”

 

It seems such an obvious choice, but so many times I find myself on the wrong side of the battle. “I don’t know why you can’t understand this.” “Look at the word. Just sound out the letters you see.” “You added this together just yesterday. Why can’t you get it today?”  The look in their eyes reproaches me, and I realize that I’m not helping. Suddenly, I am the firing squad instead of the general coming alongside his troops. Even if we do figure out our issue, there is no joy—only a sense of relief.

Then, there are the moments when, in God’s grace, I’m where I’m supposed to be, alongside my child with encouragement. “I’m not sure what you aren’t understanding. Let’s try it this way instead.” I patiently ask questions to find out what they do or do not know. I walk them through time and time again, assuring them that it’s okay to get it wrong. We pause and pray, realizing that God is the giver of wisdom and knowledge. I get out more manipulatives or a wipe board. I give hugs, smile a lot, and wink encouragement, intentionally swallowing the heavy sighs I may be feeling inside. And then when the epiphany happens and we break through the barrier, there is such joy! Not merely relief, but joy and a bond. We did it together. My child and I can share the victory and enjoy the moment. It becomes a lesson, not in math or reading, but in character and the grace of God, a journey we can be thankful for.

Honestly, when I think of homeschooling my kids, this concept makes the top of the list. It’s not the dreamy days of art and smiles and a brilliantly sun-lit school room that I envision. Instead it’s the hard days when my children learn that their parents, and ultimately God, are beside them in the difficulty helping them through rather than on the sidelines critiquing their performance.

Life is tough, and I’m okay with some of our school days reflecting that. But I’m not okay with my sinful flesh turning a moment of camaraderie into a moment of combat. Sometimes, God has bigger lessons than addition and subtraction on our planner, if I’m only willing to consult His curriculum instead of mine.