Well, I think I can see spring on the horizon! So, we know what that means. Planning for the next school year! Woo Hoo! Yeah whatever.
We all know better. We get a tingle down our spine every time we go to the
mailbox and see a new curriculum catalogue!
We turn the pages with utter excitement, thinking of all the exciting
learning that we can do for the next year.
We dog-ear pages and circle descriptions…..with great
anticipation! Oh the EXCITEMENT! And then comes our Debbie Downers.
First our most treasured prodigy begins with the long drawn out moans of,
“Moooooooooommm! I don’t want to do
latin…whhhhyyyy do I have to do I have to do Algebra?? Seriously….this reading list is from the dark
ages!” Oh those precious faces so
full of potential and ANGST.
As we work hard, making our brains sweat as if we were doing Zumba in the
Sahara, contemplating what classes each of our precious jewels would surely
excel in, what will be needed for high school credits, and of course the super
fun electives! Oh, how we plan!
Then the other downer appears…..you know the one. The one at the end of the order
form….yeah…that one….TOTAL. That
little box can take us from euphoria to the deepest darkest place in our
children’s messy closets! Then comes
the saddest part…what can we do without?
Oh! My heart breaks to a million pieces, falling to the floor with
tinkle of fine glass! (Look at me…practicing my descriptive writing!)
BUT! A thought jumps into my brain
like the ding on the microwave! THE
LIBRARY! YES! I will make my own curricula…I will
research, plan, outline, do all the worksheets and assignments! I CAN DO THIS!
Who am I fooling???? I have science
experiments in the back of the fridge….that started as “left overs for
lunch.” I just can’t seem to recall
what lunch…or when. And if you look
under the beds, the dust bunnies have formed a commune of free love and
peace.
We all have been there. It is so
hard to build your curricula to your children.
We battle costs, fear, intimidation, and failure. But, with that said, we find such joy in what
we see our children accomplish. As home
educators we celebrate the grades; but also the special little nuances,
learning to tie shoes, writing their name,
finding them being quiet….with a book, seeing them help the elderly get a
shopping cart from the rack….so much that cannot be measured in an aptitude
test. Moms, do not stress over the books
and the grades! Look at the human you
have made and now are molding to be a generous, kind, caring, and loving
person.
Mama, hold the head high! We are strong, smart, and capable! We have coffee running through our
veins! We can teach, cook pizza rolls,
change a diaper, and pay bills! We are THE
WONDER WOMEN of the world! So, get your
bracelets on, attach your lasso of truth (but does it work on a 3 year old?),
put on that push-up bustier and high heel running boots, and get out there and
show the world, “I AM A HOMESCHOOL MOM AND I AM STRONG AND FEARLESS!”
Well, except for the fear to open those containers in the fridge…
Well it has happened AGAIN! As I sit and look at my lesson planner, it hits me, like wrecking ball! (But, I am fully clothed LOL)
Thanksgiving is in 27 days and Christmas is in 54! Where oh where did the days go? I imagine planning for the holidays in a public school is stressful, but as we homeschoolers know…we can either rock it….or pull our hair out !
I know when mine were littles, we would really RELAX during the weeks between the holidays. One year we decided to have a homemade tree. We hand made all the ornaments, we used water balloons and bright tissue paper and made some amazing paper mache’ ornaments! We also used standard balloons and made large ornaments to hang from the ceiling. It was really a lot of messy fun. In other words, we did all of our art for the year in a couple of days!
I love the holidays and homeschooling! You can incorporate so much into your teaching! We have studied Christmas traditions in other countries, researched the first Thanksgiving…and being of Native American Heritage, we did a focus on the First People’s history of Thanksgiving!
You can also download a free holiday guide – with Christmas reading lists for all ages, a holiday-themed cross-stitch design, and gift guide as a thank you gift from our webmaster and her blog, Homeschool On the Range.
So, dear friends as we prepare for the Holiday season, we as mommy educators can do so much to make a holiday more than food and gifts! We can do history, art, science, and language arts (family Christmas letters), and hand writing…..and they will never know!
As the school year comes to an end, I see so many changes. Teaching two instead of one been the biggest change, but I have to say…big brother has really stepped up with advice for his sisters!
It’s funny how as the year progresses, the Light Units disappear! We are planning the closing of the year with much anticipation! The sunny days make school seem, well, DULL. The girls are enjoying bike rides, new kittens, and all the flowers!
This year I had to rethink my teaching. My number 2 daughter was really struggling with pre-algebra. So, being a somewhat creative mom, I came up with an IEP plan for homeschooling! I want her to succeed; so she and I set goals and discussed what she felt would help her with the transition into more difficult math. And it is working! Not every child will be an Einstein, but we as home educators have the ability to take what could be a DISABILITY and turn into a work of PROGRESS!
On another note, I found that both of my daughters really enjoy writing. They write short stories and essays with a flare!
And of course we had our “planning conference” for the next year. I really encourage the children’s input for curriculum. So we are ready to put down the moola for school year ’19-20!
It seems like if was just yesterday I taught my oldest to write his name, and *POOF* he is a full grown man -working and driving, being a productive citizen! So my pearl of wisdom is: enjoy these times…all of them. From getting b’s and d’s written in the right direction, to learning times tables, suffering through endless history lessons, and the tears and arguments…because…they go by way too fast!
So dear friends….as we close another year, may your pencils forever be sharpened with erasers, that rulers, compasses, and protractors never be lost, and that our wee ones always know, how much we truly love them!
It’s that time again! Every homeschool mom’s delight! Homeschool children are singing the song of “their People”……Yes! It’s homeschool convention time!
We plan for months, checking the vendor list, noting what we need to purchase (free shipping!!), what we want to look at, and of course, the gathering of the freebies! Our children get excited, they will be amongst children like them! I know that mine were excited for the book vendors, the hands on exhibits, and the most important….the young entrepreneurs booth.
I have to admit…I have been homeschool conventioning (is this a word?) since the denim jumper days! I still drag my “box on wheels”, which by the way, gets some strange looks! I carry a small spiral notebook that has my needs and wants…when I visit my curricula booth, I am welcomed with a big hug and and friendly, “Good to see you again this year!”
Every year I meet up with all my home school moms and we plan our yearly lunch….a walk downtown to our favorite Mexican restaurant! And this is with at least 9 children in tow! If you have never been to a convention….you are missing out! The smell of new text books, an entire booth dedicated to paper products! (YES) There is a booth where you can purchase the dreaded frogs and squids for dissection, and there are books galore for reading enjoyment! And this mom purchased two fabulous novels written in the 1800’s!
Oh! The freebies! Pens, pencils, water bottles, candy, lunch bags, and keychains…..of course some of the best are the free drawings for curriculum, i-Pads, and lap tops! From one home school mom to others…if you get a chance, visit a homeschool convention! It is day of fun and encouragement! PLUS….this can be considered a “professional day” for your records!
Next year….my plans are to attend 2 (yes..TWO) conventions! I may go into book overdose! Here’s to lazy summer days! Oh…who am I fooling! I don’t know about y’all, but this girl has some deep house cleaning to do!
Another school year is coming to a close. This year really flew by fast.
13 years I have been at this…my oldest will be finishing his Junior year.
I swear it was just yesterday he learned to write his name!
As I look over my dinning room table, well….maybe I should say “school table”, there are workbooks, text books, notebooks, and and tray of pencils that are without erasers, and all with broken lead; through this mess I can see the the amazement of learning.
Homeschooling is not as easy as some would think. You spend hours pouring over curriculum samples, deciding on what type of teaching and learning will work best with each of your little scholars. You plan lessons, field trips, experiments, and extracurricular activities. And, all the while you are also doing laundry, planning and cooking meals, cleaning house, shopping, doctor’s appointments, the many trips to the library, and any other task that needs to be done.
Not only is the table a mess, so is my house! Deep cleaning is usually put on “hold” until summer break. My therory on this is that I will only have my childrens’ attention for a moment, and that this house will wait, for these little minds need to be dust and cobweb free more then my home.
I have heard so many say, “How can I stand to be home all day with my kids?” or “I need my “Me Time”. For which I gladly reply, “These children were a gift from God to me, and my time with them is so short, I want their memories of education to be one of family, learning without stress, and having life skills.” My “me time” is at 5am….when the house is silent…
So, as these last few weeks are coming to a close, and I prepare for for the next year of learning….my heart is full. The outcomes of this year’s goals have been met, the children have grown, they have learned, they have aquired more life skills, but most of all….they are growing into loving, honest, and well adjusted young people.
Yes my life is super busy, and sometimes I look around at my house and just sigh….but this is my life, a life of continous chaos, but it is all mine….and I LOVE IT!
