3 Lessons Learned for the Beginner Homeschooler

by on August 13, 2010
in inspiration · 21 Comments

Written by Simple Homeschool contributor Renee Tougas of FIMBY.

Eleven years ago our family started this home education journey with the birth of our oldest child. We never did try a public or private school option. Homeschooling is all we know.

Our family’s experience is limited to elementary aged education. So I’m certainly no expert on the subject of homeschooling, but I have learned a few lessons of my own along the way. Perhaps these are even more important than what my children have learned.

We’re all learning together and that’s one of the amazing benefits of home education.

These “lessons learned,” and still being learned, have come out of my insecurities and the question, “Am I doing this right?”

I hope what I’ve learned will be an encouragement if you’re just starting out or like me, have been at this a few years.

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4 (Fun) Basic Elements of Backyard Science

by on July 21, 2010
in family time · 9 Comments

Written by Simple Homeschool contributor Renee Tougas of FIMBY.

Summer is the perfect time for outdoor science and backyard learning.

Bubbles, insect study, gardening, star gazing and acorn catapults – all of this is science. And all of it is fun.

When your children are young – pre-school and elementary years, it is so simple to turn your backyard into an outdoor laboratory for studying the natural world.

Here’s one fun approach you can take to create an outdoor environment for learning inspired by the four classical elements of air, fire, earth and water.

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Involving Dad in Your Homeschool

by on May 12, 2010
in a mom's education · 16 Comments

If you are like “the average” homeschooling family, one parent is largely responsible for the day-to-day schooling while the other is the primary wage earner.

Most often Mom is the one at home overseeing the education while Dad is working outside the home. I don’t think this particular arrangement is ideal, but it is the situation many homeschoolers find ourselves in.

Dads (and mothers who are the primary wage earners) can and should be involved in the family homeschool.

It’s vitally important for children to have both parents active in their learning.

We are like many homeschooling families with Mom at home and Dad at work. But just because Dad’s not home during the day doesn’t mean he isn’t engaged in our children’s education.

With some creative approaches to learning and simple time management we’ve found ways for Dad to play a significant part in homeschool life.
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Managing Your Kitchen and Your Child’s Education

by on April 9, 2010
in home maintenance & management · 25 Comments

One of the benefits of homeschooling our children is the opportunity to teach them the nitty gritty of home management. A very useful lifelong skill.

This is especially important in the kitchen. Thanks to Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution and others who are sounding the alarm, we’re becoming aware of how little the average child knows about food – where it comes from and how to prepare it.

As homemakers and homeschoolers we have the power to create a healthier reality for our children. The time we spend in the kitchen with and around our children is not a distraction to their learning but an important part of it.

But let’s be real. Preparing three healthy meals (don’t forget snacks) each day and homeschooling is not always easy.

Both home education and eating well take time and though it may seem these two are in competition with each other, they aren’t. [Read more...]

Great Books for an Outdoors Education

by on March 10, 2010
in methods & philosophies · 27 Comments

Our family recently returned from our annual winter camping trip. Three wonderful days of backpacking, sleeping in a wood heated cabin, hiking to ocean lookouts, eating trail food, playing cards, sharing stories and many laughs. The woods and mountains, any time of year, are two of our family’s favorite places to be together.

Coming down from the natural high of that experience, and reflecting on the many other hikes we’ve had together, I believe strongly that an outdoors education isn’t about books at all.

It’s about actually being out there: tromping through the woods, climbing mountains, combing the seashore and exploring caves–discovering with your own senses the natural wonders of this world.

You can’t have firsthand nature experiences through reading alone, no matter how well written a book is. But you can support your outdoor studies with some good books in hand.

Here are a few to get you started:

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How to Build Your Family’s Homeschool

by on February 10, 2010
in methods & philosophies · 24 Comments

My kids love building miniature houses. I think most children their age share this same interest. Colorful Lego castles, cardboard Victorian mansions, popsicle stick cabins–our living room floor has seen them all.

Homeschooling families have something in common with these structures my children like to build–both are diverse and unique.

If you’ve been homeschooling for a while or have just started looking into it you might be familiar with the following scenario: We start reading about the crafts, Latin studies, Shakespeare play, acre garden or cool science experiments that other families do and we rush out to do the same thing.

We want to build a homeschool environment that looks just like another family’s. But what we really need to build is our own creation.

Can I encourage you to do something before you start paying for phonics curriculum, pottery lessons and Lego robotics?

[Read more...]

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