Homeschooling with a Baby
A week or two before I had my fourth baby, I had a fleeting thought – How am I going to homeschool with a baby? Some you of might wonder why I didn’t think of this sooner. I had nine months to think and plan, right? I have learned that sometimes over-planning is a waste of time. I decided not to really think about it a whole lot. It seemed better to figure it out after the baby was born. Fortunately, I had a few ideas that I thought would help. It turned out that homeschooling with a baby was easier than I thought. Tongue Tie & Feeding I didn’t start doing school until my baby was feeding normally. Most of my babies had tongue ties. With my first baby, the tongue tie experience was very overwhelming. The third baby (My second born son didn’t have a tongue tie), it was a little bit better. By the time my fourth baby had his tongue tie, it was hard, but it was not anything I couldn’t handle. He had his tongue released and started breastfeeding just fine. I was very thankful that life could move on. After all numerous the doctor appointments were done with, then we started school. Starting School Again I got some interesting advice after I had my fourth – Take six months off or jump right back into everyday things. There are many ways to approach homeschooling after a baby is born. My kids are small, so I need to be there directing them to some degree. They do well when there’s some sort of routine to the day. When there’s no structure, then that’s when more problems occur. For me, doing a little bit of school after a week after having the baby or so worked well. It wasn’t a lot, but we did enough to feel like we had some structure. Also, newborn babies sleep a ton. They love to be snuggled in a baby wrap and sleep for hours close to mom. As long as I had a descent amount of sleep and coffee, then I felt ready to slowly ease back into normal everyday life. Also, some things don’t stop after you have birthed a baby – co-op classes, sports, and church. In some way, it’s good to keep the normalness of life going. How to Balance School with a Baby Personally, I loved having a newborn and homeschooling. Here are some things that I did that worked with homeschooling and a baby. Final Thoughts My kids all loved having a baby brother. Today a family with four kids seems like a lot, but it doesn’t seem like a lot when you’re in the middle of all the wonderful craziness. I think it might be easy for some to see a baby as getting in the way of homeschooling, but having a baby made us love being at home together even more. It didn’t hurt anyone’s schooling. In fact, a new baby has always forced my older kids to become more independent. Sometimes people ask how I homeschool with a baby. It seems like they think my children sit in complete silence while doing workbook after workbook all morning. In that case, the baby better not make a peep! They probably aren’t imagining all the read alouds and snuggles. Homeschooling can work in so many different circumstances, and a baby always has a place in a homeschool home. Homeschooling with a baby is easy (although it might depend on whether you have an easy baby or not). Homeschooling with a crawling baby…that’s more of a challenge. I will write about that another day. From Carly at DesertHomeschoolDays
Learning About Birds in Arizona: Part 1
Last week we began learning about birds in Arizona. Our first bird we tackled was the hummingbird. We will be learning about other birds in Arizona later this spring. We plan to make a detour and study butterflies and plants in the Sonoran Desert, and then return to birds. The reason for a detour is because every spring we order caterpillars and watch them turn into butterflies. We have to order the caterpillars before it gets too hot. Otherwise, they roast to death in our metal mailbox. I call that a, “Phoenix problem.” We also want to observe plants and learn their names before it’s hot. Does anyone else not know the names of common desert plants? Ocotillo? Ironwood? Desert broom? I know some, but not as much as I would like. Now, back to birds in Arizona. We started off with reading some books about hummingbirds, memorizing a poem, and learning a song. The song has been stuck in my head for over a week. It’s a catchy fun tune. Later, we set up our hummingbird feeder and filled it with sugar water. We also learned about John James Audubon and looked at one of his painting of hummingbirds. Lastly, we hunted around our backyard for hummingbird nests. Unfortunately, we found nothing. However, we were able to make our own nests using air dry clay. Picture Books Finding books about hummingbirds is easy, but finding books about hummingbirds that don’t focus on the ruby-throated humming bird’s migration to Mexico is hard. We don’t see the ruby-throated hummingbird here in Arizona all that often. The hummingbirds that are commonly seen in Phoenix are the costa’s hummingbird, the Rufous hummingbird, the Allen’s hummingbird, Anna’s hummingbird, and the broad-tailed hummingbird. I couldn’t find any picture books specifically about hummingbirds in Arizona, but the following picture books were about various kinds of hummingbirds, some of which are here in Arizona. Hummingbirds by Catheryn Sill Hummingbirds by Bonnie Bader The Kids’ Guide to Birds of Arizona by Stan Tekiela A Nest is Noisy by Dianna Hutts Aston Observe Hummingbirds I am learning a lot about the Sonoran Desert with kids. One thing I learned as we recently started observing hummingbirds is that the summer is the best time to observe them. Some of them migrate from Mexico starting in March and leave again in October. The Anna’s hummingbird stays here all year-round, so you can always see them flying around. However, there is a greater variety in the summer. We have honeysuckle trees all across our backyard. Hummingbirds like the color red. This worked out well for us. We were able to observe some hummingbirds and identify them. They fly away so fast, so it’s kind of hard to get a good look. We had fun and did our best with our Birds of Arizona book. Hummingbird Feeder We set up our old hummingbird feeder and watched them drink the sugar water. The recipe calls for boiling water, but I have never actually done that, and hummingbirds still come anyway. I just mix sugar and water. Our hummingbird feeder was old and no longer red, so we ordered a new one so that it would attract hummingbirds. Hummingbird Nest Towards the end of the week, we made hummingbird nests our of Crayola Air-Dry clay. My kids loved it! Hummingbird nests are as small as a quarter. Some nests are two inches across and one inch deep. We used those measurements to make sure our nests weren’t gigantic (because to a kid a bigger nest is a better nest). The nests dried after a few hours. Later, we painted them. Final Thoughts A lot of people here in Phoenix are transplants. That means that names of desert birds and plants are new to them. I knew very little about hummingbirds before I read about them with my kids. They are actually neat little birds. When I was a teacher I always felt like I had to be the expert. Oh what hogwash! I like learning with my kids. I am not an expert, but sometimes that works to a homeschool mom’s benefit. You and your kids can get excited about something together. Carly from DesertHomeschoolDays.com
When Picture Books About Saguaros Become Real
A few weeks ago, we studied saguaros for our Sonoran Desert nature study. What do you do after you have learn about saguaros? You go hiking in the Sonoran Desert and observe as many saguaros as possible. We went to the McDowell Sonoran Preserve where the picture books about saguaros became real. The hike had a lot to see. We were able to observe lots of saguaros, plus a pack rat midden, which is one of the many nocturnal animals here in the desert. We also went to the Desert Botanical Garden here in Phoenix, which also brought our learning to life. Bajada Nature Trail We went hiking at the Gateway Trailhead in Scottsdale, Arizona. A friend recommended this trail to me because it’s perfect for small children. There are a few trails to choose from, but if you’re like me and have a bunch of little kids, then the Bajada Nature Trail is the best pick. The whole trail is half of a mile. Some great features are that it’s stroller friendly, and that it has signs that help hikers learn more about the Sonoran Desert. The hike has lots of saguaros all around. While hiking, what we saw reminded us of the picture books about saguaros we had read, like Desert Giant and Cactus Hotel. Some saguaros had no arms, while some had many. We saw saguaros that had died and toppled over. Once it starts decaying, you can see the ribs and all the wood inside. A saguaro is considered a tree-like plant, but before moving here I never would have guessed it had wood inside. One thing I have noticed about saguaros is that they are often times growing right next to another tree that provides shade, like a palo verde tree. I never knew why they seemed to always be growing straight up in another’s trees space until I read The Giving Tree of the Desert. A palo verde tree can be a nurse tree that protects a saguaro as it first begins to grow. Eventually, the nurse tree dies and the saguaro keeps on living. We saw a bunch of nurse trees with a small saguaro growing under its shade. The saguaros were cool, but I found the pack rat midden to be the best part. The midden is clearly labeled on a sign and is easy to locate. It reminded me of Desert Night Shift: A Pack Rat Story. We got off the trail (I know you’re not suppose to do that, but it’s not rattlesnake season yet) and looked all around the midden. We found small holes a ways off that we think led to the midden. The whole hike took us about an hour or so. We stopped a lot, read the signs, and took pictures too. The Desert Botanical Garden The Desert Botanical Garden is an obvious place to visit if you are studying the Sonoran Desert. There is a lot to see there, but what we enjoyed the most were the Plants and People Trail and the Sonoran Desert Nature Trail. All around the garden there are tables where staff teach visitors more about the Sonoran Desert. One table had a saguaro boot that you could look at. Animals dig holes into a saguaro and live inside it. Once the saguaro has died and rotted, then the shape of the hole, which has hardened, is preserved and actually looks like a boot. I didn’t think to take a picture of that. The Sonoran Desert Trail has lots of different types of cacti. There’s also a cool mountain view with a board that identifies the different mountains. The Plants and People Trail show how natives lived in the Sonoran Desert and what they used to survive. Did you know that they used the wood from an old saguaro to make a pole to grab the fruit off a live saguaro? I sure didn’t. My kids had fun running into the replicated huts. There is also an antelope squirrel colony. We were able to get right close and really watch them. We haven’t learned much about them yet, but we have seen them on other trails like the Reach 11 Trail in Phoenix. I have read a lot of books about apple trees and oak trees with other nature studies. We liked them, but we never got to observe them. That’s why I think it’s really great for my kids and me to read picture books about the Sonoran Desert – we get to actually observe the trees, plants, and animals. That’s what nature study is all about. It’s really neat to see everything up close, and it’s even better to do it with your kids. I hope you try out this trail. You will enjoy it! For book ideas, read my post about picture books about saguaros. Written by Carly from DesertHomeschoolDays.com
Homeschooling Introverts in an Extroverted World
Homeschooling introverts is something I can easily write about because most of my children, including myself and my husband are introverted. I think some parents think homeschooling an introverted child sounds ideal because they more likely are going to be content being at home and are less likely to beg for friends to come over or go out somewhere. All of those characteristics can make homeschooling easier, but as with everything in life, there are also challenges. Homeschooling introverts in an extroverted world can be a of fun, but it can also be hard. Here is what I have learned about homeschooling introverts. Give Them Downtime Even though I am an introvert, I prefer to go out more than my children do. When I hear of a cool field trip to go on or a fun outing, I am the one who is the most excited to go. Most days we go out somewhere. Sometimes it’s just in the morning, or only afternoon, or maybe the evening. Considering the amount of work it takes to get everyone ready, we do get out quite a bit. Since we have a busy schedule, I have learned to be careful with the amount of time we spend out of the house. I say no to outings for the sole purpose of letting my kids stay home and play. To some that may look like we have nothing going on, but the space to relax and play is necessary for them. Plus, the time at home helps me keep up with housework. Striking a Balance in Your Schedule Striking a good balance of staying at home and going out has taken a lot of trial and error, and it has changed as my kids have grown. When my boys were four and two years old, we would alternate between a whole day at home and a day where we go out somewhere. It kept them happy because it was good balance. These days, I have somewhere to go most every day. Since my two oldest boys are older, they can handle it fine. What I do now is I reserve a few afternoons a week for downtime. Invite Friends Over I used to be intimidated to invite people over to my house, especially if I didn’t know them very well. Over the years, I have become better at having people over for dinner or a playdate. My children have also grown in this area as well. When they were smaller it wasn’t always easy to have people over, but I kept trying. It was hard because I always wondered what people thought about me and my shy children. As I have gotten older, I don’t care as much about what people think. Instead, I care more about raising my children to be hospitable and welcoming to others when people come over. Let Them Find Their Interests This thought goes back to having downtime. My kids feel recharged when the home is orderly (sometimes that’s hard to maintain, but it’s possible) and they have time to pursue their interests. What I have seen is their interests – reading, drawing, studying maps or the learning about the weather – have made them interesting to talk to. It’s their interests that bring their minds to life. For introverts, ideas are almost as essential as meals. Kids like this tend to have a rich inner thought life. All that alone time is not a waste of time. Choosing How to Socialize If you talk to any introvert, they will admit that they probably prefer getting together one-on-one or in a small group, but not in a huge, gigantic, loud group. Our culture prefers the big crowds, but introverts usually don’t care for that type of socializing. In the past, we have done large group events, and most of the time none of my kids enjoyed them. That doesn’t mean I don’t sign up for those types of activities, but it does mean that I am mindful of how often I am participating in large group events. It’s good to be stretched, but it’s also good to know what situations help you make friends. I prefer one-on-one or a small group. I find that I’m not really socializing when I am in a large group. It’s the same for my kids. The one-on-one playdates are where we have made friends. Last Thoughts Being an introvert is a gift, and homeschooling introverts is also a gift. In a world where extroverted qualities are more highly valued, you can forget that skills like observation, concentration, pondering, and asking meaningful questions, are amazing skills to have (I’m not saying extroverts don’t have any of those skills). My kids can be quiet for a while reading, but then suddenly, they have so much to talk about and share from their books. They have strengths. Homeschooling helps me bring out their strengths. Comment what you have learned from homeschooling introverted children. Carly from DesertHomeschoolDays
Llamitas Spanish: Why It’s My Favorite Spanish Curriculum
Over the past two years, I have used different Spanish curricula. I first started with Llamitas Spanish, and it is by far my favorite. It’s fun and rewarding to spend time thinking and talking in another language, and it’s even better to do it with my kids. My children and I are not fluent, but we have fun learning Spanish. In my opinion, enjoying the learning process is just as valuable as becoming fluent. If you enjoy learning a language, then you’ll keep at it. Llamitas Spanish It is a thematic, open-and-go, Charlotte Mason inspired curriculum. It’s also my kids’ favorite Spanish curriculum too. Currently, I am not using Llamitas Spanish this year, but we still sing a few of the songs for review each day and read books from the reading list. Here are some of the reasons why Llamitas is my favorite curriculum, and why I cannot wait to use levels 2 and 3. Easy to Use Llamitas is an open-and-go curriculum. There are flashcards you can print out and decodables that need to be folded and stapled. Otherwise, there’s no planning. Everything is written in Spanish and in English. That means the parent who doesn’t know much or any Spanish can learn alongside with their child. There’s also no teacher book. The student book comes with directions for the parent to read aloud to the child. All of this makes teaching Spanish so much easier and far less intimidating. Mostly Screen Free I limit screen time in my house, but I’m glad to use it if it helps us learn. I like that the creator of Llamitas, Corrie Wiik, includes videos and songs that are found online. The videos help my kids understand the songs better. Folk Songs and Artwork One of my favorite parts of Llamitas are the Spanish folk songs. Some of the folk songs include Mi Burro; Asserín, Asserán; Juguemos en el Bosque and Mariposita. Each unit includes a few pieces of artwork from famous painters. Each piece of artwork has questions to ask that use the unit vocabulary words. Cross-Content Llamitas incorporates basic math into their lessons. This includes counting to 100, learning names of shapes, and adding and subtracting. Visuals accompany the addition and subtraction problems. The best part is that it all goes back the unit theme. The math work centers around the vocabulary words. Not Woke Some of the Spanish curricula that I have seen is woke and includes content that I don’t approve of. In level 1, the family unit is just about families. It doesn’t contain any LGTBQ content. It’s refreshing to know that it’s free from content that doesn’t need to be included in order to learn Spanish well. Additional Activities Llamitas also includes art projects and extra worksheet pages with each unit. The directions for the extra activities are online. That’s a plus because if you’re too busy to do the extras, then your children won’t ever know what they missed. Booklist Corrie has created a wonderful booklist for each unit that includes beginner and intermediate level picture books that go along with the unit study. I didn’t utilize the booklist a whole lot when I did level 1, but I really wish I had. Like, I said, I still use the songs for review with our current Spanish curriculum, but I will also be using the booklist as a resource for read alouds. Motivating Did you know that Corrie Wiik learned Spanish later in life? And yet she created a wonderful Spanish curriculum without being a native speaker! That made me feel so much better about teaching my children Spanish. I studied it in college and studied abroad, but I don’t consider myself fluent. Llamitas took away the fear of teaching a second language to my children. I don’t speak Spanish perfectly, but it’s not the end of the world. I try my best and have fun teaching and learning with my kids. Maybe you’ll try Llamitas Spanish. You won’t be disappointed! Carly from deserthomeschooldays.com
Sonoran Desert Nature Study: The Saguaro Cactus
Last week we started up school again, but we added something new to our studies – a desert nature study. We are doing a Charlotte Mason inspired study of the Sonoran Desert. I’m so excited to be doing this because I have spent the past few years doing nature studies that were designed for families in climates with four seasons. We would learn about fall leaves changing colors, and then see a few trees here in Arizona change color…. in December. Then we would learn about snow when it was 70 degrees outside. It just didn’t match our home, the Sonoran Desert. I didn’t grow up in Arizona. When I moved here ten years ago, I had to learn all the names of different cacti. All to say, I’m looking forward to learning more about the plants and animals here in the Sonoran Desert with my kids. I’m really not a huge nature enthusiast, but I do enjoy nature studies because I find that it’s the easiest way to do science with little kids. Reading books, singing songs, reading a poem, spending time outside is what I want to do with my boys and the two younger ones. Everyone gets something out of it. At this stage of my life, there’s no time to do individual science lessons. Books and Nature Walk We started with reading, The Seed and the Giant Saguaro, the Night Flower, and Cactus Hotel. After we read The Seed and the Giant Saguaro, we visited our “baby” cactus, who is hiding under our pomegranate bush, and measured it. It turns out it’s about fourteen years old. Later during the week, we also took a nature walk in our neighborhood. Did you know that saguaros don’t begin to grow an arm until they are around 70 years old? We thought it was cool that some saguaros we saw were probably close to one hundred years old. The kids used their instant print cameras they got for Christmas and took pictures of the cacti. We really looked like homeschoolers while we bent over as much as we could into people’s yards to get a good picture. Then, the kids cut out the pictures, labeled them, and put them in the nature journal. Experiment and Art I bought cheap sponges from Wal-Mart and cut them into the shape of a saguaro. Next, we placed them in a cup of water and watched how the sponge absorbed the water just like a saguaro absorbs the water after a storm. I let the sponges dry, and a few days later we used them to make a desert landscape. We stabbed forks into the sponges and dipped them in paint. I only do projects with paint every now and then, and when I do let my kids use paint, I want it to be for making something that is creative and beautiful. Basically, it has to be worth the mess because I have my three-year old daughter painting alongside us. Food Until I moved out here, I had no idea that cacti actually produce fruit that you can eat. I ordered prickly pear jelly from Amazon. We toasted some bread and spread it on top. It tasted a little different than regular jelly, but the kids loved it all the same. Nature Journal We haven’t gotten to our nature journals yet, but we will be writing what we learned about saguaros and other cacti. My oldest son will write a few sentences, and his little brother will write one or two. Sometimes he dictates, and I write the sentences down for him. Having the picture books out on the table is helpful as we double check facts. I will write more posts about our Sonoran Desert nature study for those that are interested. Next up are citrus trees! They are not native to Arizona, but they grow very well in this warm climate. Until next time!
Homeschooling with a Preschooler
Is there anyone out there who feels guilty about not doing as much with the younger kids because they are busy homeschooling the older kids? Homeschooling with a preschooler can sometimes seem like the preschooler is always getting the short end of the stick. It’s easy for the day to focus on the older children’s needs. When my two oldest boys were younger, I took them to places like the zoo, parks, libraries, and the children’s museum. I genuinely enjoyed doing those activities with my kids. These days, I stay home a lot in order to homeschool and get naps in. Homeschooling with a preschooler has its challenges, but it also has some really rewarding experiences. My three-year old daughter does interrupt our schooling, but she also joins in and learns with her brothers. No, she’s not being offered preschool activities necessarily, but she jumps in and learns anyway even if it’s a bit above her. I don’t see this as a disadvantage or her being neglected. It’s just our family adjusting as the children get older. Getting Out One way we have adjusted is how often we get out of the house. We do get out of the house, but it looks different than it did a few years ago. We homeschool four days a week and leave one day for getting out and doing something fun. Structuring our week like this helps me know that my daughter is getting out and having some of the same experiences as her brothers. Since it’s so much work to get four kids ready to go out, I often times go out on the weekends when my husband can help. When I wasn’t homeschooling, our outings were in the morning. Now I like to reserve the morning for school (because no one wants to do school after lunch). This means getting out is sometimes shifted to times of the week where I have more help, or it’s reserved for a day when we aren’t as busy as home. Life Skills Something I recently noticed about homeschooling older kids with the younger kids is that the littles learn more life skills. Instead of doing a sensory station with rice or sand, my daughter digs in the garden and helps pull weeds…and sometimes the plants by mistake. She helps me bake cookies and scoops the flour. Most of it ends up in the bowl. She has watched her brothers put their clothes on hangers. Now she can do the same. She can help unload the dishwasher. Washing the dishes with me is also a favorite. She likes to bring in the groceries and organize the pantry. My older boys were not doing this many chores at her age. I actually didn’t think children could do all those things at such a young age. I was wrong. Read Alouds Another benefit is the read alouds. I read picture books to her before nap and at bedtime. Otherwise, a lot of the books she’s listening to are above her comprehension, but it still benefits her to hear everything. In fact, if the baby is awake, I bring him close by when I read aloud because I want him to hear the rich language as well. Conclusion Families change as more children are added, and my days don’t look the same as they did a few years ago. I don’t feel guilty that my daughter has never gone to story time at the library. Maybe she will someday, but for now it doesn’t work with homeschooling. I read and sing to her a lot. We have friends come over to play. I know she’ll be fine without all those extra experiences. Her preschool days are different than her brothers’, but they are also richer in other ways. She spends her time playing with her brothers, being outside, coloring, and making tents. For her, home is a wonderful place to be. God gives each family the children he wants them to have. When homeschooling with a preschooler, I think it’s important to know that each child has a place in a homeschool day, whether they are ten months or three-years old. They can be included in activities with older siblings and still pick up skills they need to learn. Also, it’s not the norm to parent this way. Lots of children are in daycare or preschool very early on. If you’re like me and that wasn’t what you wanted to do, then I think it’s easy to feel like you’re doing something wrong if you haven’t presented your young child with an array of preschool activities. Homeschooling is an extension of parenting, and it’s what I love to do. It’s living your everyday life alongside your children.
Finding Good Picture Books
Have you ever taken your kids to the library only to be disappointed by the books they picked out? That’s happened to me a lot! I have been disappointed by the book displays and often times the book selection as well. So how do you find good picture books for your kids? I struggled with that question a few years ago. I would google something like, “picture books about cars” (my boys loved anything that had to do with cars), and I would find lots of books. Some were great, but most were just okay. Simply googling books didn’t give me the quality I was looking for, but I wasn’t sure where to go to find the best picture books. Booklists The answer to my problem was solved by using a highly curated booklist. My favorite booklists are from the following: I don’t remember how I stumbled upon my favorite resources with booklists, but going through booklists pointed me in the right direction. I could tell when a picture book was boring and annoying to read, but I couldn’t verbalize what distinguished a mediocre picture from a great picture book. Unfortunately, when I was an elementary school teacher I rarely had the time to appreciate and enjoy children’s literature. Now as a homeschool mom, I can read all the children’s literature I want. First, I started going through the booklists and requesting the books online. Then I would go to the library and pick them up at the reserve section. After doing this for a couple of years now, I am finally seeing fruit. My Literary Taste Has Improved People often talk about having good taste in clothing or good taste in home décor, but I prefer to talk about good taste in literature. The more I read high-quality picture books to my kids, the better I became at distinguishing the good from the bad. Now, I can thumb through a book in a few seconds and decide if it’s worth my time. I couldn’t do that a few years ago because I thought everything looked okay. I used to think it’s just important to be reading to your kids – the type of book doesn’t necessarily matter. These days I disagree with that statement. I think the type of books we read to our kids do matter. After I read a chapter from a good book, I keep thinking about what happens next. Characters that have admirable traits help you connect with the book. If it’s a picture book, then the illustrations need to make you look so you can gather information about the story through the pictures. I can’t say I ever felt that way with the Berenstein Bears books or the Froggy books by Jonathan London. Slowly, after a couple of years, I saw that my standards for picture books began to improve. I Enjoy Reading More to My Kids Reading high-quality books with my kids made me love reading to them even more. The whole experience was enjoyable. I wasn’t bored, and that’s an important point. I have noticed that when I think a book is boring, then my kids tune me out and start misbehaving. They don’t want to listen to me read a dull book. But if I am enjoying the books and am laughing out loud at the funny parts, they are far more engaged. My enthusiasm is contagious. My Kids’ Literary Taste Have Improved I let my kids read twaddle, but when I read aloud, I read the good books. A few years ago, my boys were drawn to any book with a Paw Patrol dog on it. What a disappointment to a homeschool mom! I made a rule for myself: I will take the time to read high-quality picture books and chapter books with my kids, but if they want a less interesting book to read, they can have it. It’s kind of like making sure the main meal is substantial and nourishing, but less nutritious food is allowed in moderation. They are no longer into Paw Patrol books. Phew! What I have noticed is that they are drawn to read books by authors we have read together: Jan Brett, E.B. White, Gail Gibbons, Beverly Cleary, etc… The early years of mothering are sometimes hard because there’s so much work that goes into each day, and you kind of wonder if any of it pays off. Seeing their taste in literature improve after so much effort for going out of my way to find good books was like a fresh breeze blowing in middle of July in Phoenix. Final Thoughts I own several Berenstein Bear books, and my kids used to love them. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that, but I do think it’s a good idea to have other books available. The booklists remove all the hard work and make it easy to find books that your family will enjoy together. Also, once you read the really good picture books, you will probably want to find more.
Homeschool Schedule
A number of years ago, I went to homeschool conference for families who were interested in homeschooling. There was an interesting speaker who shared a schedule she had created for her children. It was very detailed, and it showed what subjects would be done when, down to the exact minute. I remember thinking that the homeschool schedule looked intense and overwhelming. I sensed others around me feeling overwhelmed. It made homeschooling seem like it could only be done by a specific micromanaging super homeschool mom. That isn’t me. I’m glad I went to the conference because it made me think about how I wanted my homeschool days to look like, and quite frankly, I did not want an intense schedule. I wanted freedom to make each day work for us. A Relaxed Schedule I was homeschooled. We did school at the dining room table. We started when we started, which was usually around 9 in the morning, and we finished when we finished. There was no written-out schedule. When I became a teacher, I created a schedule for my day, but only because I had to. It would be chaos to not have a schedule and basic routines in a classroom with twenty or so children. But homeschooling is different than regular school. You don’t need a strict schedule because mom isn’t herding twenty children. What I have noticed is that creating a homeschool schedule that mimics regular school makes moms feel good. They want to make sure they hit on every subject so that their child’s education is excellent. I want my children to have a great education, but not to the point where it’s overwhelming. I would rather have a flexible schedule that allows my children to learn in a relaxed environment. Personally, I think that can help children enjoy learning, and if they enjoy learning, then they will keep learning even as adults. A Flow to the Day I don’t have a schedule posted anywhere in my house. To some, not having a schedule can seem like the only alternative is to let chaos reign in your house. An alternative to a strict schedule is a flow. A flow means that the day generally follows the same pattern, but it’s not strictly tied to a specific time. Here is our flow to day (Keep in mind that I have four children eight and under). Being Flexible Some days are different. The boys have basketball and co-op classes on certain days. Sometimes grandma babysits. We just adapt. What I like about a flow to the day is that it gives freedom to not feel like I’m racing against the clock. Sometimes we do things out of order, but that’s because I have a baby and a three-year old, and I need to be flexible. Babies wake up, need to eat, and then spit up everywhere whenever they want. If I had a strict schedule, then I would be ignoring my other children’s needs. I have tried to start school at a certain time each day, and I fail every time. Instead of setting myself up to feel like a failure by not being able to reach a goal first thing in the morning, we just follow our flow for day and usually everything gets done. Sometimes subjects are flip flopped around depending on whether I need to feed the baby, but that doesn’t bother anyone. I think it would be harder to do that if I had a written-out schedule. After spending years following a schedule in a classroom, having a flow is a refreshing change. A flow is great for the homeschool mom who wants some structure, but not too much structure. I also think it’s ideal for little kids. Some days one subject takes way longer than expected. I like that we can take time to finish our work and not feel frazzled because we are behind. And if I do get “behind” one day, big deal. We will get to it tomorrow. I will end on a funny note. Once I did try to write a schedule out for my boys. I just wanted to see how it worked. I wrote it out on white board, but their little sister erased it. She likes it when the board is clean. The day went well. I figured I don’t need a written-out schedule.
Christmas Book Flood
Have you heard of Christmas book flood? It’s an Icelandic tradition that is celebrated on Christmas Eve. New book titles are released before Christmas, and everyone in the bookish country of Iceland gives books as presents on December 24th. Then they all sit down with hot cocoa and read their books. If you are a booklover, then your jaw is probably dropping right now while you wonder why on earth no one told you about this tradition. And if you’re a homeschooler, then you’re most likely trying to figure out how to squeeze Christmas book flood into your week. Christmas book flood has a few others names such as Yule book flood and Jolabokaflod. What I love about celebrating Christmas book flood is that it’s simple and enjoyable. You don’t even have to celebrate it on Christmas Eve. Any other day will do. All you need are books and cocoa! And that is your school day. Does it get any better? Maybe add some cookies if you want. Last year we celebrated Christmas book flood, and last week we had our second go at it. I only did a few things to prepare for it. Find Books First, I searched for books I knew my kids would love. I gave my three kids (Yes, I skipped the baby) Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree, The Stick Man, and an atlas book called Where on Earth? . Also, I got a bunch of Christmas books from the library so that we would have plenty to keep us busy. I used a combination of booklists from Treehouse Schoolhouse’s A Connected Christmas and the December book list from readaloudrevival.com. Set Up After the kids went to bed, I grabbed my crate of Christmas books to dump in what we like to call “the study.” It’s our second living room where we have lots of books. My plan to was to place the crate on the floor, but then I had a better idea. I placed all the books on the shelves so it looked like a bookstore. My kids really liked it! I also wrapped the books I was giving them and left them on the coffee table. A Day Reading After they woke up, they opened their presents and spent time reading or looking at books while I made breakfast. We still had to do ordinary chores and such, but once that was all done and the baby was napping, I made hot cocoa and I read aloud their books, plus a few from the library. Did we spend the whole morning in a peaceful bliss? No, my kids needed to run outside for a bit and play. There were squabbles and messes, but we still had a nice time. In the afternoon, when my three-year old was napping, I made some more hot cocoa for the boys and read aloud The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (super funny book!). After that it was time to make dinner. Our Christmas book flood isn’t like the way they celebrate it in Iceland, but we made it work for our family. Sometimes I do things with my kids and I forget how small things can be turned into special moments. Last July one my kids asked me, “Can we do that day where we drink hot cocoa and read Christmas books?” I was kind of surprised he remembered it. Last year he bumped his head during our book flood day and couldn’t stop crying. I assumed it hadn’t been a memorable day, but I was wrong. I am pretty sure Christmas book flood day is going be one of our many Christmas traditions. It’s a perfect excuse to slow down during the busy season and read with my kids.