I want to homeschool, but don’t want the responsibility.

by on February 7, 2011
in a mom's education · 136 Comments

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

Often I take a look in Google Analytics to see what brings people to Simple Homeschool. Many readers arrive after an online search, on the hunt for information about a certain topic. Common searches that bring readers here include simple homeschooling, homeschool encouragement blog, waldorf homeschooling, and making the first homeschool day special.

But my heart dropped a little when I read that a few people found this blog after typing in “want to homeschool, but don’t want the responsibility.”

Fear of responsibility on the homeschooling path isn’t uncommon. After all, so our thoughts tease, if we send the kids to school and things aren’t going well, there’s someone else to blame. But if we grasp this calling fully by the reins, we know in whose direction fingers will point if results aren’t in line with the norm.

Even typing that makes me anxious, so I know that for others just starting out, the feelings come with even more intensity.

Homeschooling isn’t for cowards, you know.

There’s no magic formula for anything in life, including home education. But here are a few thoughts to remember when you get frightened by the enormity of the task ahead.
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Weekend Links

by on February 6, 2011
in links · 3 Comments

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

So guess who I met last week?

Hanging out with the Simple Living Media ladies at Blissdom in Nashville was incredible, not to mention that I missed one of the huge storms that dumped a couple more feet of snow in my backyard. I feel so blessed to work with these gals day in and day out. They are just as amazing in real life as they seem online.

It’s been one year since Simple Homeschool began, and I regularly thank God for the opportunity to serve you here–thanks so much for reading and supporting us!

(Pictured above, left to right: Nicole, Mandi (our ad manager), Tsh, Aimee, Kara, and yours truly)

Now on to our weekend links:
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Weekend Giveaway: AboutOne

by on February 5, 2011
in giveaways ·

This giveaway has ended. Thanks for entering!

Today I have the privilege of introducing you to a new sponsor here on Simple Homeschool, AboutOne.

Here’s an overview:

“When was the last time you had to search through boxes, piles of paper, or a filing cabinet for something related to your family? Whether it’s your spouse or child’s blood type, details about a recent home repair, or photos from a recent vacation, with AboutOne.com you’ll also have all the information you need, right at your fingertips, to make informed decisions and respond quickly to an emergency.

AboutOne was designed by moms and dads for moms and dads to make managing all that household information fast, fun, and easy.
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A Day in the Life of a Waldorf Kindergarten

by on February 4, 2011
in methods & philosophies · 36 Comments

Written by contributor Sarah Baldwin of Bella Luna Toys

A note from Jamie: While not technically a homeschooling day, this post provides a helpful look into an early childhood Waldorf classroom, which is largely based on a home atmosphere. Many popular homeschooling curricula spring out of this philosophy, so I greatly appreciate Sarah sharing her expertise with us. Enjoy!

It’s “Soup Day,” in my Waldorf kindergarten class. My assistant and I arrived early to don our aprons and prepare for the day. A basin full of water has been set on the table. Vegetable scrub brushes lay nearby.

A small wooden cutting board, wooden bowl and “crinkle cutter” have been set in front of each chair.

At 8:10, the teachers gather to read the morning verse. We end with Rudolf Steiner’s words, “Receive the children with reverence, educate them with love, let them go forth in freedom.” We are ready to start our day!

At 8:15, the children begin to arrive, each one proudly carrying a vegetable to add to our “stone soup.” Lucy brings a potato, Aidan brings a carrot. Frances brings broccoli, and Max a beet. It takes a village to make stone soup!

Each child finds her symbol above her hook – it might be a bunny, an apple, the moon, or a squirrel. She hangs up her coat, takes off her outdoor shoes and puts on the soft pair of slippers that is kept at school.

Children then put on a small apron and come to the table where I am seated to help chop vegetables. The conversation is lively as we chop. I begin to sing, “Stone soup, stone soup, cook a pot of stone soup,” as we work.

Photo by Sarah Baldwin

As each child finishes, he brings his bowl of chopped vegetables to my assistant, who adds them to the big pot on the stove. Now it is time to play!
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The Truth: Lora Lynn’s Homeschool Day in the Life (with a 2-, 3-, 5-, & two 6-year-olds)

by on February 2, 2011
in organization · 39 Comments

Written by contributor Lora Lynn Fanning of Vitafamiliae, currently on her way to Uganda to meet her 6th child!

I worked hard to come up with a workable daily routine for our busy family.  I’m proud of what I do and the fact that it works for us.  But the truth is, school days with children in the younger years are all about flexibility.

Take this morning, for example…

Chores

We are supposed to start school at 9 am. My kids are up at 7:30, they do breakfast, get dressed, and put away laundry.  The second my husband walked out the door for work this morning, the kids went buck wild. I put a stop to it quickly when I saw three of them treating a fitted sheet like that parachute thing we used to do in gym class.

This sort of delay set us back a bit.

Some mornings, I strictly enforce the 9 am start time and make the kids finish their chores after school.  Other mornings, like today, I let them fritter their time away but make it clear that this will affect our ability to do the fun things on our schedule.  Usually, we still manage to fit things in, even the fun stuff, and I think that’s a testament to a good routine and being FLEXIBLE.
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