School at home #3

There are SO many great ideas, activities, video clips, tutorials, etc. out there right now. New ones every moment!  I find myself enthusiastic about so many of them! In the middle of my bookmarking and list making, I started to feel overwhelmed with the sheer volume of ideas.  Even though there are a million good things to do online, I don't need to do them all. Today, I shut the computer. We made muffins. We read many books. We took a long walk in the misty rain. We did some seed starting. The internet is grand, but it's not the most important.  When I look back on our day today, the parts we connected best of all had nothing to do with screens. Although I admire and encourage those who organize and plan great activities, I don't need to pressure myself to keep up.  Sometimes just being available for non scripted dialogue leads to the best lessons. 

Homeschooling, a wee bit of advice
School at home #2

School from Home #2

To my friends who just survived their first day of schooling at home (day one click here), I bring you another day of encouragement. This is largely spurred by Emails and questions I'm receiving (If you have something specific you'd like me to address, I'll try my best to answer in another blog post).  It's also the same encouragement I give myself, for although I have been homeschooling for years, I am still a work in progress.  Perhaps it will be useful to you.

1) You did it.
You made it through. You didn't think you could, but you did it.  Was it perfect? Probably not.  And that's okay. But you did the best you could, and because of that, feel accomplished.  It is NOT easy to dive into this with limited time to think/prepare.  Feel encouraged, you did it.

2) Day 2 will be better.
No day is flawless.  Day 2 is a new chance.  Now you know what went well and what didn't.  What will you change about tomorrow? Now that you know what was tricky, you have a chance to improve.  These struggles are opportunities for connecting with your kids. This is where character development happens.  First thing day two, talk with them about what happened day one. Get a plan together on how today will be different from yesterday. Write it down.  Commit to working together to make day two different. I once had a professor say "If you do nothing between one negative behavior episode and the next behavior episode, how can those negative behaviors be expected to change?" These stumbles are great opportunities to help them grow their character.

3) Do everyday.
Read everyday.  Read to them, regardless of age.
Go outside everyday.  Go out there with them.
When you get stuck, it's okay to stop and change it up. Reading something you mutually enjoy or going outside together are great resets. We are currently enjoying the Poppy and Ragweed series as our family read aloud. On our nature walk today we followed a porcupine until he climbed up a tree.  We kept our dog at bay, thankfully.  What are you reading together? Did you have any memorable experiences outside today?

4)You are capable.
You made it through today, you have a fresh start day two. What a gift it is to have this time with your students. They will remember that you showed up and gave it your best.  You are more than capable. Onward to day two, I am cheering for you! 

(Day one click here)

Home Education, a wee bit of advice

Tomorrow many of my friends will find themselves thrusted into a role they didn't sign up for as their kids' home educator. I'm certainly not an expert homeschooler, but have some experience having homeschooled my kids for all their schooling thus far (my oldest is just about finished with third grade).

Here's a bit of advice from me. It's the same sort of self talk I give myself when needed. Perhaps you may find it useful.

1) You are enough. 
I know you may feel like you're not adequately planned or prepared or ready. You may not feel equipped. You may feel frustrated that you did not sign up for this. Put all those worries aside.  You have what it takes to do a good job because you love these kids so much that you are willing to give it your best. You are enough.

2) Atmosphere is important.
It matters less how much you accomplish in a day, it matters more how you accomplish it.  Think less about the end goal. Think more about the process of discovering, enjoying and connecting with one another.  If not everything gets done today, that's okay. There is tomorrow. Keeping the atmosphere of the home peaceful is a more important than accomplishing the list.

3) Do everyday.
Read everyday.  Read to the them, regardless of their age.
Go outside everyday.  Explore with them, regardless of their age. 
Consistently doing these two things helps establish a connection with one another and joy in learning. It often makes it more likely that other things on the list will be checked off with greater ease as well.

4) Give yourself grace.
This whole homeschooling thing is new to everyone. It may go well at some moments and others it may not. One step at a time. Give yourself grace.  These weeks of schooling at home will be forever memorable to your children. Keep working at making this experience a time together you will both forever treasure. You can do this!

Wool sweaters

I love this little girl. She's sporting a wool sweater that my friend made for her (Thank you, Cricket!).

 Same pattern, next size up, from the one she made her as a tiny baby.

For a change, my oldest and youngest posing for a pic.

Homeschool gym

Thanks to the grandpas, we've had a pool membership this winter at a local hotel.  We've been going 3-4x a week. Know how many people are usually there when we go? This many. 

I bring to you the first six seconds of our homeschool gym. Thank you Grampy and BOG, best Christmas gift ever!
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No more pictures of the rest of the 54 minutes of swim, because I join them. Best time to live in a coastal town is now!

Today

Due to sickness of others, our activities ended up being canceled and we ended up with a stay at home homeschool day. Started with a walk with the dog before kids woke for mama, then morning chores, fresh eggs and homemade bread, lots of books, creativity and handcrafts, pasta sauce from last year's tomatoes simmering on the woodstove, three hours outside, a trip to the pool, a stop in the store to grab supplies to start our seedlings, home in time for dinner and more books. Sometimes the everyday is more magical than what any vacation can bring.

Fashion

I must say that this fashion show was unexpected and the highlight of my week.

It all started with sobbing and tears. I went out to try to figure out with the emergency was. She did NOT think this was a 'pitty dwess'.

 The maker ignores the whimpering and finds it most fashionable and is mighty proud of her creation.

 She made a shirt and a skirt for herself.  And a cape for the rooster.

 Just when I thought the creations were at an all time high, out strolled her newest model, walking the runway with whatever this contraption is.

These pictures will stick around for a long, long time. I think this day was epic.