Mindful Homeschooling

by on September 17, 2010
in inspiration · 15 Comments

The following is a guest post written by Jimmie of Jimmie’s Collage.

Mindfulness is living in the moment, enjoying the present as opposed to dwelling on the past or the future. It is when the mind is at rest rather than racing a mile a minute. Research has shown that mindfulness helps us deal with stress and generally makes us more content.

I personally am trying to be more mindful – to gratefully savor each moment that comes my way instead of always rushing off to the next task on my to-do list. This effort has powerfully affected my homeschooling life as well.

Planning Versus Doing

I’m one of those moms who love planning. I love researching and organizing materials. I love making printables to match our curriculum, scouring catalogs for the best resources, and reading forums to keep up with the latest homeschooling trends. In fact, I could spend most of my time planning our homeschool instead of actually implementing anything.

What good is my planning if I never do it or if I plan so much that there is not enough time in the day to possibly accomplish it all?

In The Hurried Child, David Elkind, a child psychologist, says that the most critical factor in “beginning to read is the child’s attachment to an adult who spends time reading to or with the child. The motivation for reading, which is a difficult task, is social.” [Read more...]

Deciding What to Teach Your Kids

by on September 15, 2010
in a mom's education · 18 Comments

Written by Simple Homeschool contributor Renee Tougas of FIMBY.

A while back I got the following question on my personal blog from a reader, “How do you decide what to teach your kids?”

I want to answer that question in this space because I think my response might also help some of you here.

One of the reasons our family homeschools is to give our children a large degree of learning freedom. To allow them to pursue their interests and develop their unique gifts and talents. We are not unschoolers, as I explain here, but we are relaxed in our approach while also being very intentional about the long term goals for our children’s education.

From that perspective here are four guiding principles to answer the “what to teach” question.

[Read more...]

Time Management for Homeschoolers: Making the Minutes Count

by on September 13, 2010
in organization · 6 Comments

Written by Jamie Martin, editor of Simple Homeschool and founder of Steady Mom

A note from Jamie: I’m vacationing with family for a few weeks and will be back later in the month. This post was first published on April 5, 2010. If you’re just getting into the groove of a new homeschooling season, time management may be on your mind. Enjoy!

As homeschooling families, we have lots to get done and not always a lot of time in which to do it.

Duties call to us from all sides, competing for our attention. If we don’t intentionally determine our daily rhythm, we may never get around to what we truly value.

But on the other hand, it’s no fun to live life as a drill sergeant–planning every second and living with eyes constantly on the clock.

So what’s a mother to do?

Use the following ideas to come up with a flexible plan that works for your household.
[Read more...]

Erasing the Line Between Home and School

by on September 10, 2010
in a mom's education · 12 Comments

Written by contributor Amida of Journey Into Unschooling

Back to school is upon us and there have been lots of discussions among fellow homeschoolers about the Big Day — the loss of carefree summer days, the stress of preparation, the hopeful direction of the new year.

It is a time filled with promising new materials to try out, and beloved old ones to continue with. For me though, I prefer to take the route less stressful. I propose a different outlook.

One of my goals with homeschooling, after all, is to raise lifelong learners. I want my children to remain naturally curious of their world and to seek information and acquaint learning as a natural part of their lives. Just as learning shouldn’t be limited to specific hours of the day, neither does it need to have a start and end date. [Read more...]

The Case for Memorization

by on September 8, 2010
in methods & philosophies · 30 Comments

As a young girl I was a devoted fan of Anne of Green Gables. I found Anne’s imagination enchanting, of course, but I also admired how she could recite poetry and quote stories at her whim. It seemed that whatever she played at – fairies in the woods or the Lady of Shallot upon the river – she could recall the perfect, enduring words to make her play all the sweeter.

I wanted to be like Anne – to hold within me delicious, impassioned words.

Unfortunately, by the time I reached school age it had fallen out of fashion to require, or even encourage, children to memorize anything beyond letter sounds, the Pledge of Allegiance, and the multiplication tables.

I think this is a shame really, and a glaring hole in my education. Sure, I could have taken it upon myself to commit great works to memory, but without someone to guide and inspire such a pursuit, memorizing can seem a daunting task to a child.

I hope to be that guide for my boys – that when they step out into the world they will have a host of powerful, meaningful words at their disposal.

If you have not yet made memorization a part of your homeschool experience, here are six good reasons to consider joining us. [Read more...]

How to Homeschool with a Baby or Toddler (& Enjoy It!)

by on September 6, 2010
in organization · 7 Comments

Written by Jamie Martin, editor of Simple Homeschool and founder of Steady Mom

A note from Jamie: I’m on vacation for a few weeks. Picture me, chasing three children through beach waves as we happily go away while others are heading back to school. The advantages of homeschooling, yes?! With the school year starting up again, it seems like a perfect time to replay this post. It was first published on March 8, 2010. Enjoy!

When I was first considering homeschooling, it overwhelmed me to think of teaching multiple children. How do you orchestrate the day so that everyone gets enough attention?

And what if you find yourself blurry eyed from lack of sleep because of a sweet newborn? Or in the races as you daily chase a never-stay-put toddler?

Is it possible to successfully homeschool with little ones underfoot?
[Read more...]

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