10 Tips for Homeschooling Multiple Ages

When we started this homeschooling journey, I was daunted by the task of educating my precious kindergartner all by myself. I spent hours researching, planning, scheduling. I recreated school at home, complete with desk and cubby. While this works for some, my intensity nearly gave me a heart attack. I'm not a super-structured person, by nature.

It took us quite awhile to find our groove, lighten up a little, discover each of the kids' learning styles (and my teaching style.)

Now, I'm teaching 7th, 5th, 2nd, and kindergarten!

It's still challenging, of course, but I've learned a few things along the way!

1. Pray.

A lot. All the time. And read His Word.

This isn't possible alone. Don't wait until the burden is too heavy to carry, and worry seeps out your ears. Just hand over the weight of it now, do your best, trust God to help you. Unfortunately, I often forget this basic and most-important rule until I'm on my knees with frustration...and then "well, duh, might as well pray while I'm in the right position!"

2. Grade papers daily.
Paperwork is my nemesis. It piles and piles, taunting me. I've learned to tackle it as soon as it comes. Besides, the kids want to know how well they've done on an assignment. It's not always possible for me to do it with them, or grade it immediately, but I do try to finish everything by the end of the day.

3. Do as many subjects together as possible.

We do all of our science and art together, and the boys all do history together, too. My kindergartner may not "get" a lot of it, but he participates, especially if there's a project or experiment that goes along with the lesson. My daughter (7th grade) is old enough to do most of her work independently. We use Teaching Textbooks for math, which grades and keeps records for me (YAY, TT!) She uses a completely different set of books than the boys, and comes to me when she's completed a unit and is ready for a test. Other than that, I grade her history, and just help where I'm needed. It's sort-of wonderful.

4. Create a Routine.

I'm not overly structured, as I've said. I get stressed when we've tried to stick by the 30-minute increment time schedule in the past. "Ahhh, we're not done with science, but the timer is about to BEEEEP!" Stress. Somehow the timer rules me.

But we DO have a routine that we follow. Wake up, Get Coffee, Read Bible (my time,) Computer Time, then we read the Bible together while they eat breakfast. Every morning the little ones and I go outside and watch the sun come up. They know what to expect, and when. We do this in other areas, too. For example, they know that at 5pm, they can turn on the TV and watch a show. They know that only Saturdays are for Nintendo. Knowing what to expect takes a lot of the Whine out of the equation!

5. Plan Independent Work.

We do a lot together, but they're also required to do some things alone. For training, if nothing else. By the time they're in 7th grade, I want them to be able to work as independently as their older sister. Which means they need more and more responsibility and discipline every year. Even my 5-year old can do his handwriting and addition without help sometimes.

6. Have a Meeting Place,

but don't make everyone work there. 

At one time, we had an actual designated schoolroom, which was wonderful in theory, but we just didn't use it like I thought we would. Now we have the kitchen table. There are lockers and bookcases in the playroom, for our books and supplies, but we usually do our work right at the dining room table. That is, the boys and I do work there. My daughter usually works in her room, at the counter, or anyplace that is far enough from her brothers to prevent distraction. Let's face it, boys are just noisy and active! At any rate, it's wonderful to have a central location to come back to, for group projects and art lessons!

7. Keep Each Child's Schoolwork Handy, and Separate.

If one child is going to work in a different room, it's convenient to just grab the tub of their stuff and move them along. If you decide to be a super fun (and maybe a little crazy) homeschool mama and do a School in the Park Day, each kid can grab their own tub and haul everything along. If you want to take it a step further, you can color-code. If a blue notebook is left out, I know who it belongs to! This "Tub-Method" has made my life infinitely easier!

8. Plan activities for the little ones.

When I'm grading, or working one-on-one with the older kids, the little ones need something to do. We keep a tub of toys ONLY for times when they need to play quietly in the afternoon. I rotate things out (when I remember.) For preschoolers and early elementary, you could include puzzles, lacing beads, pipe cleaners for crafts, toy cars, you get the idea.

9. Have the older ones help the younger ones.

It's been said, we remember 10% of what we read, 20% of what we hear, 30% of what we see, 50% of what we see and hear, 80% of what we personally experience, 95% or what we teach. I believe there's truth to this. Have your older students teach their younger siblings something they're learning about. It's a two-for-one!  

10. Relax.

Have fun. Remember to include Art (get messy!),

Nature-Study (play outside! Enjoy the world!),

Music  (dance with it!)

These things are just as important as math and history!

School takes longer when you're teaching multiple grades, but the younger ones still won't be working all day. Provide crayons and a steady supply of paper.

Nurture creativity and imagination.

 

Encourage group art projects. Take walks!! Dance. Play. Enjoy!

Don't lose sight of why you're doing what you're doing, by getting bogged down in scheduling and paperwork. Create a vacation day, if you need it, just to go hiking.

 

 Enjoy this time, because it really does go by too fast!

Nature Notebooking

With the weather being so amazing lately, we've been spending more and more "free time" doing Nature Notebooking, which is basically just a hands-on, intense science study. We pick an item, study/observe it, measure/weigh, notice coloring and other characteristics, and then draw and write about it.

(Bonus: With "free time," I'm teaching science, math, art, writing, and more, all in one "lesson"...and they don't even know it's extra learning! bwaaahaaa)

My Oldest Boy, the nature lover, chose a leaf that was growing through our back fence. He sketched the top, and did a mighty fine job, then flipped it over and found this:
See those tiny eggs? The entire leaf is 10cm. These are itty bitty eggs.
We looked at closely as the naked eye can....

....and then transferred them to the microscope. Oh, how I wish I could take photos through the microscope!! It is SO very neat.

From what we read in the Handbook of Nature Study, and online, we're guessing that these are butterfly eggs, that will darken as they get near their hatch date. They're currently residing in our butterfly house.

If you have any idea what they could be, please let me know.

I'm eagerly anticipating birds' nests and eggs in the trees behind our fence. We've been hearing mockingbirds and robins, and have seen quite a few little sparrows, too.

This may be my favorite March ever. We've had very few storms, and some record warmth, which is just *perfect* in my book!

Fish unit

I'm feeling the need to revive the excitement and shake things up a bit in school. Middle of the year blahs, so to speak, and it's time to get EXCITED again! :D

We started a Fish unit this week. Sounds uber exciting, yes? Well, it is!
Our quote for Monday:

Einstein was a clever dude.

We worked on Japanese hanging koi (goldfish) and read about koi from Wikipedia. I'll post the pictures upon completion.

The kids made tangram seascapes...

Many of our writing prompts, mini books, our vocabulary list, and even the Bible verse suggestions we used are from Homeschool Share. That site is such an amazing resource!

The little boys sorted colored goldfish crackers... ...made patterns... ...used them as manipulatives for their addition problems, and then ate them. :)

We read Shel Silverstein's poem Fish, and wrote our own poems.

Tuna fish sandwiches (cut into fish shapes) for lunch.

T played this fishing addition game to go along with his math today.

We talked about the food chain. What do fish eat? Which animals eat fish?

We used the Melissa and Doug complete the picture fish bowl page, just for fun.

O played the aquarium game on Poisson Rouge, already one of his favorite sites.

The older kids finished strong, with their usual math lessons, and Papaw's history and Spanish lessons.

Last but not least, I added my own excitement by having my sister cut me some bangs when she stopped by. So many perks of having a sister who went to cosmetology school!

Ta-da. Short and choppy little hipster bangs. I like 'em.

I have more fish activities planned for this week, and have already started putting together units for birds, rabbits, etc. Pinterest has been a huge help, too!

I'm open to ideas or suggestions, so feel free to chime in!

School Year Profiles

Every year I do an "interview" of sorts with the kids, asking about their favorite food, subject, field trip, and so on. This year we decided to add a profile picture and cut-outs of their interests.

For the profiles, I had each child stand in front of the fridge, and I traced his shadow, and then he cut it out.

My MiddleBoy Dash added birds, airplanes, dogs, a game of Twister to his interests.



My OldestBoy filled his interest space with all nature items. No surprise there.

Their handwriting leaves something to be desired, but we're workin' on it. ;)

Here are their answers:

I love OldestBoy's answer to "Favorite place to go"....
"home"

Pulling Back to Focus

It's that time again. I'm feeling busy. Too busy.
Summer brings out the nature-love, want-to-live-in-the-country desire for me.

Blackberries from our backyard, picked this morning

I want quiet streams. And wildflower covered meadows dancing with butterflies. (yeah, it's a picture in my head, and a feeling that goes along.) I want to watch the kids run through sprinklers, with no worry about how fast I need to corral them to head to the next appointment, playdate, or event. I want to pick blackberries in my yard and salad from the garden...and relax...not stress over what's going on and where we need to head next. (part of what I wrote here is missing now, because my kitten walked over the keyboard and erased it! Let me try to recap.)
I stay encouraged and excited about homeschooling (or just staying home with the kids, in the summer,) by keeping myself from getting overwhelmed. If you know me, you know that I don't get overwhelmed easily. We can have weeks upon weeks of daily playdates, church commitments, sports activities, parties before I start to feel like *maybe* just maybe we should pull back. In fact, I'd say that my overwhelm-response needs some fine tuning, as I should get to that point much sooner. Instead, it just kinda hits me-- BAM-- It's too much.

I've mentioned before that our county has more homeschoolers than any other county in the state. We have a great support network, and we're surrounded by wonderful opportunities: nature centers, summer camps and VBSes, sports opportunities, music lessons and endless field trip possibilities. In the past, we've done everything from soccer & T-ball, gymnastics to co-op, piano, Spanish, ballet, summer camps, you name it. They were all good opportunities, some better than others. But now I wonder why I said yes to so many. Why do I say yes? Yes to the kids, yes to our friends, yes to random people who ask if we want to come. I like Yes. I enjoy doing things. It feels good to have many experiences under our belt, you know? Regardless, I found too many yeses became discouraging if we weren’t keeping up with the bigger (Best) plans for us.

Now, I'm *trying* to only enroll in classes that directly relate to what we are studying. And almost all of our field trips are family trips. When we can include Daddy, too, on the weekends, I feel less overwhelmed and we are more unified.

Even after cutting out some of our "extracurricular extras," I still sometimes feel suffocated in time commitments. I do a lot of extras with volunteer work, photography, church functions (not as often anymore) and community events. Homeschooling takes up an enormous amount of time. I was in a book club, cooking club (this week will be my last time to go,) playdate group, Bible study. I'm also trying to keep up with the house (with an out-of-order dishwasher this past week)...and the garden...and my etsy... and this here blog. And facebook, emails, bills. Then there are all of the endless tasks that are involved in just keeping a family fed and clothed. And, of course, my Man wants some attention now and then. ;)

And playdates. Oh, my, the playdates. You know I love them. I love seeing friends. I love their kids. I love taking pictures and playing, watching my kids play. I don't want to stop the playdates. It's AFTER the playdate that I feel tired. Did I just have back-to-back playdates for the last 10 days in a row, all with different families, in addition to gymnastics and dinners and parties? No wonder I'm tired. Today was out first full day at home. It was a glorious day. My house got cleaned. The kids played with each other. I paid some bills and answered some overdue emails. We played a few games, read some little stories. And rested.

I have hit the wall. Must make some major changes. Again. I'm a slow learner.
I. Can't. Do. It. All. Must look in the mirror and repeat every hour: "I. Can't. Do. It. All."

I must choose the best over the good. I must decide what is important and do THAT. Not everyone will agree. Not everyone will understand. But maybe some will? And, more importantly, God knows my heart. I want to do what's best for my family. I want to help others, within God's plan, not simply because I never say no. I want to strive less for people's approval, and more for God's.

Not every season is mine to say yes. Not every job is mine.

Basically, I'm trying to clear my plate of things that don't belong right now. Book club, gone. Cooking Club, I love you, but it's not the right time anymore. No teaching Sunday School right now. I may back off from photographing others for awhile, we'll see. I'm down to one in gymnastics, and a hold on Spanish lessons. No VBS this year. No summer camps. No more sports. Yes to Art Nights and Nature Notebook. Yes to creek trips. Noooooo, we simply can't go to every single birthday party we're invited to, as much as a part of me wants to.

I DID take on the elementary coordinator position with the homeschool group, which is one thing I'm very purposefully making time for. Fred and I prayed about it, decided it was right (not just another yes) for me to step up. Coordinator means that I'll initiate and plan some things, but delegate many others. So you, homeschoolers who are reading this, YOU plan some some things and let me know. I'll help facilitate and get it on the calendar. At least tentatively at this point, try to initiate just ONE thing during the next school year for whatever age group your children are in. Just one. If everyone shares the job, the burden is light. Go in with a friend and plan something, if you'd like. :)

After clearing my plate of so many time-consuming commitments, I feel much less overwhelmed...but still too busy. And have you heard what "busy" stands for? "Being Under Satan's Yoke." Homeschooling is not something I could just add on to an already busy life. I MUST cut back. Our lives need pruning. I need pruning. And part of that means that I must reclaim the responsibility of being. Being available to the kids, available for the home, available for my Man. Not available to everyone and everything under the sun.
I mentioned that I got the house clean today while we were home. My Man noticed. He cared. It mattered. So that matters to me. (And- heck, if Fred noticed that's really sayin' something!)

Y'all, I'm cutting way back on my available time. I can't do playdates every day. I can't do ANY during the school year between Monday and Thursday unless it's directly school-related. It just overwhelms me. We rush to get school done, house tidied, before leaving to play. And so starts the rushing lifestyle and poorly done work. No more, I say. No more. I want to live a purposeful life while I have these little ones. It won't be perfect, and I accept that. I don't need perfect, but I do need purposeful. Intentional.

Okay, and as far as the blogging goes, I love it. It's my downtime, "me time" relaxation. But I also love my artwork at night, and have been spending time editing pictures, too. Because I can rarely accomplish these things when the kids are awake, I've been staying up too late to do it all. Again. Sooo, I may be doing more Photo Blogging, and less actual writing. K? Okay.

Julie & Adam, signing the wall

On that note, I had a stinkin' awesome time at Art Night last night, and that's one thing that is definitely staying on my schedule. Last Saturday of every month, Art/Music Night at the local coffee shop. If it's the only time I go out each month (ha) I'd be okay with that. Art/People/Music is a balm to my soul. :D

Bekah Karp, Tea and Art

Mark Rotramel with guitar (and me reflected (: Cool, right? Right.)

Importance of Exercise for Children

I've mentioned before that I deal with issues in the winter. I just feel sad, folks. The sunshine is my lifeline. Crank up the light & warmth, and my mood follows right along. Direct correlation, I'm tellin' you.
Well, it's not just me. Up to 20% of people have at least a mild form, or some symptoms of seasonal affective disorder. It's a real deal.
The sunlight, and being outside, truly makes a difference.
And, I've realized, it's not just the sun...it's the exercise. When I'm inside, I'm far more likely to sit and cozy up...for a long time... read books, bake goodies and heavy meals... watch movies, all cuddled under blankets. My frisbee and trampoline-jumping days are forgotten, and the muffin top starts appearing. ;/

I realized just how much exercise, sunlight, fresh air really affects my kids, too, even if they don't vocalize it in so many words. (It's usually in the form of whining, fatigue, groans and complaining, added sibling rivalry.) During at least 3/4 of the year, we spend most of our time outdoors. Winter is hard on all of us.

Soooo, let's look at the facts:
"Increased physical activity has been associated with an increased life
expectancy and decreased risk of cardiovascular disease. Physical activity
produces overall physical, psychological and social benefits. Inactive children
are likely to become inactive adults. And physical activity helps with
•controlling weight
•reducing blood pressure
•raising HDL ("good")
cholesterol
•reducing the risk of diabetes and some kinds of cancer
•improved psychological well-being, including gaining more self-confidence
and higher self-esteem"
(It was from one of those medical sites, but I'll be darned if I lost the reference. Anywho, I believe every word of it. Exercise isn't just good for moods!)
Other benefits:
•It's good for your eyes, or so the research suggests. And why not? Seems being outside is just good for every part of our bodies.

It's even good for your brain. From The Huffington Post:

Science Daily reports that "exposure to specific bacteria in the environment,
already believed to have antidepressant qualities, could increase learning
behavior."

•Being outside also helps kids with ADHD. Makes sense to me.
I've tested this theory, as much as I'm able. When the kids have time to run around the house a few times, jump on the trampoline, or go for a walk BEFORE we start school, they are able to focus better. We also do a LOT of our schoolwork outside, when the weather permits. If being outside makes ME feel emotionally and physically healthier, then the same most likely holds true for others. 1+1=2 It all makes sense, folks. Let's get these kids outside!!

We practically live outside, when the temps get decent enough (I dislike being cold!!) In the spring and fall, particularly, we do ALL of our science lessons outside, hands-on. But, when I drive through the neighborhood in the afternoons and evenings, there are often no other children outside. :(

Moderate to vigorous physical activity feeds the brain with water, glucose, and oxygen, which we all need for optimal performance," says Pica. "And it gets those endorphins going, so we feel better too. That goes for both parents and kids."
People also get sick less often if they exercise regularly. You can actually fight away sickness with exercise!

I recently heard on the news that nearly 1/3 of children ages 4 to 19 eat fast food every day, and over 15% in that age group are obese. Am I the only one appalled by this? Really-- 1/3 of children eat fast-food EVERY day?! That is insane. It's a no-brainer that kids need exercise AND healthy foods. just throwing that out there. It's not enough to shove 'em out the door; we've gotta give our kids the right foods, too. I'm trying to get better about this myself, seeing as how I'm a regular cheese addict. ;)

Remember, spending time outside is GOOD FOR YOU! Yes, it's a fact. And, like most things, the more you do it, the more you want to do it. So I urge the happy and sad, depressed and anxious, childless & quiverful to get your butts out the door. Smile, breathe deeply. Enjoy. Live a little!!

I want to see more kids in my neighborhood out shooting hoops, riding scooters, playing baseball... !

I'm SO STINKIN' THANKFUL for this AMAZING weather today!! ~:)

Jan 28 mid 60's Wonderful

I've mentioned before that we do not waste good weather.

Who wants to hole up inside and miss the sunshine on a day like today?! Not us.

This is reason #568 (or so) of Why I Love Homeschooling!

After doing school work on the picnic table in the backyard, we moved to a local trail with playgrounds. Papaw came with us and tutored my girl in history,

while we read to and then played with the little boys.

Plenty of breaks for freeze tag...

sliding...

(yes, those are my feet. And the slide is higher than it looks here!)

and train-watching...

My mood, some days, feels directly linked to the warmth and sunshine.
Today I felt happy, almost to the point of tears.
It could be, too, that we had several amazing answers to prayer in the last 12-hours. :)
I feel such relief. I knew I could trust in Him,
but didn't expect the answers to come so quickly, and all clumped together.
What a beautiful day for miracles!

dealing with sandwiched criticism

Ooookay, then. I'm going to do something I've never done: publicly address a private email sent to me. Because, first of all, I don't really know the sender. Second, if this is how I come across, or these concerns are shared by others, then I want to deal with that. And, lastly, this is my space. I appreciate constructive criticism, really. And I do want to know what you think, how you feel. I did specifically ask for thoughts...
I appreciate some of this; good rule of thumb used: if you're going to criticize someone, manage to use a "praise sandwich." Good work. ;) I do appreciate many things you said.

Wendy, you really lay your feelings out big time, something that I could
never do.

I never realized that I was a PEEP, but if the shoe fits, so be it.

I urge you to read your second paragraph over and concentrate on what it means in
reference to the remainder of your written thoughts and wishes. Sometimes
quality over quantity is the better.

You have children that you put a lot of love and effort into for their future. I have been amazed that you home-school all, and I wonder how long you can carry this out, especially with the age differences. There is a lot ahead for you to think about.

You yourself are very multi talented and have the appearance of being very good at each (something others would love to have).

Again don’t overload as this can have a telling affect. I probably said more than I should, but I wish you the best.
Take Care

When I read this, I immediately took out the second paragraph of my last blog post, that he's referring to:

As I was saying, Lately I've been putting so much effort into house, school,
crafts, behavior, that I'm finding myself drained when evening rolls around.
It seems that all of my updates are roughly 400 words; I can only think in
facebook posts now? Sad, yes.

After all, am I really being that "telling"? Am I coming across just stressed out, worn out, and possibly incompetent (my questions, not putting words into his mouth)?

And then I put it back in. After all, that IS how I was feeling. And, frankly, I'm not sure how that emphasized quantity over quality? My first ministry is to my family, and I try to emphasize that.

As a wife and mother, there are certain things that must be done every day. I have to feed the kids (cook, dishes, other clean-up) and do laundry, floors, bathrooms, plus other basics that MUST be done, and can't all be completed on weekends. The house stuff has to be scheduled in. The kids do a lot of this, and I consider it part of their education. Who wants to marry a slob? How many people end up with organizational flaws that hinder their adult lives? (*raises hand* I learned some things the hard way.)

Crafts also go into homeschool. And it's part of the quality, as far as I'm concerned. I firmly believe in hands-on do-to-learn education. We make. We create. We do art. And it's part of their quality education. It's also a part of who we ARE. Even outside of "homeschool," we do art as a way of life. Teachers and students are all entitled to a life outside of "school."

Behavior-- possibly the most important aspect of education, as this reflects the condition of their hearts and minds. I'm not trying to spread myself too thin; I'm trying to concentrate on each aspect of what I believe defines Quality Education. And, yes, it drains me. As I will assume every other mother and teacher feels at times. Some days I love it, some days I'm ready to quit, and sometimes I just plain don't want to think about so I go through the motions and cut out the extras. That's just the honest truth. But I wouldn't trade it in for anything.

I don’t need or want everyone to agree with me. This is not a Stepford-esque blog, and I am not a cultural robot. You can approach me. You can ask questions about homeschooling, how it works, why I believe what I believe, and you can tell me what YOU believe.

I both welcome and encourage readers across political, cultural, educational, geographical, religious divides to read and embrace what I have to say, or throw it to the curb. I acknowledge that I sometimes fly by the seat of my pants, can spit fire when provoked, and protect my home more fiercely than a lioness. But that doesn’t mean that I cannot listen objectively.

I homeschool; I listen objectively to all sorts of nonsense from well-meaners. I’m well-practiced right now!

Okay, it's a legitimate question: "I wonder how long you can carry this out, especially with the age differences. There is a lot ahead for you to think about." But knowing the intention of the person who asks the question is just as important as the question itself.

For the record, I plan to "carry this out" until completion. Straight through high school. And beyond, if my children end up taking some college courses while they're still in high school, like I did.

In case it's not as well-known as I thought, I was also homeschooled through high school. I loved it, and believe I turned out well-rounded, "socialized" (in a good sense of the word!) educated, and pretty likable... Right?

My parents homeschooled the three of us, all different grades and abilities, and we all look back with fond memories. It can be done. I also know people who have homeschooled from Day 1 and graduated their kids, quite successfully. Not only is it possible, it's pretty standard as far as homeschoolers go. Take a look at the data (not super-current, but the trend has continued.) Regardless of parents' education level, minorities, number of children, homeschoolers outscore. I won't go so far as to defend my position by using my daughter's own scores, but let's just say that she's doing mighty well and I'm a proud mama and teacher.‎ *Ü*

As a friend once said, "Homeschooling is like Cinderella’s slipper. It ain’t gonna fit everyone." Great quote.

It doesn’t take a college education, special training or a degree in special education to give a child the best start. It does take real and genuine dedication to research, read and review, cover a broad range of topics, and the self-discipline to assemble it all. It also takes a stable home with a clear set of expectations and the self-discipline to make sure the environment of learning is created. This is why I'm home a lot. This is why I say "no" to way more outside activities than I would otherwise....a hard lesson learned, for me. This is why I wait to blog until school is done for the day, and why my art waits until evening. I have a lot of work to do, a lot of fun to be had, field trips to plan and papers to grade.

Not to say that homeschool moms don’t waver, second guess themselves or fail. I've never claimed to have it all together. I do claim to love my kids more fully and intensely than anyone. I do claim that my dedication to their educational success is greater than any specially-trained teacher could possess.

I acknowledge that I do not have all the answers, and will never offer my children the “perfect education.” I acknowledge that there will be gaps, as there will be with any educational choice, whether public, private, or home. I hope, beyond my imperfections, that my children develop a lifelong love of learning.

I am confident that they are thriving here at home. I am confident that right now, I am able to provide the tools, security, comfort, drive, discipline, love, motivation, encouragement, educational resources and time that they need. I may be spread thin, but what mother or teacher isn't?

I believe public school teachers have a much harder job, teaching 20+ students, from all different backgrounds and capabilities. They're required to teach all these little people at the same level, and make sure each child successfully masters each skill...especially hard when you don't have the means to "dig a little deeper" if there are family problems, etc. I admire the drive and dedication that so many teachers have.

Believe me, I can handle my four.

I hope that satisfies your concerns. I put all this out there so that other moms can find camaraderie in this journey.

If a family believes that homeschool is the right path for them, I hope they find a support group and companionship in the blogosphere for the journey. And if public school is where your children are meant to be, then embrace that choice and all the benefits that lie within that choice.

I could "play it safe" again and stick to crafts, decor, learning activities (which I still plan to include,) and skip all of my opinions and thoughts...but I'm tired of that. How does the saying go?-- If you hit the target every time, then you're standing too close. I need to stretch out a little. If I'm not challenging myself, then how can I possibly challenge anyone else?

Studying creatures, the CM way

I've mentioned several times before, that we love the Charlotte Mason method, and try to incorporate it with every subject. The vast majority of our read-alouds are biographies, historical fiction, and other "living books."

For science study, we do go through a regular text, as well as using reference books like The Handbook of Nature Study...but I feel free to veer off at any time, based on what we discover. With fall fast approaching, we're spending more and more time outside, and finding new creatures every day. Why spend the day studying about evaporation, when we have a butterfly to look up and learn about? Sometimes LIFE, not the book, dictates the lessons.

This is a Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta). Beautiful, right? The kids held the butterfly, watched it, read about it, drew pictures of it.

Red Admirals are considered to be people-friendly butterflies that will approach and perch on human beings. (University of Michigan Museum of Zoology) Well, that's the truth! This beauty came right over and picked Ethan out of the crowd.

Also, they prefer sap on trees, fermenting fruit, and bird droppings; visiting flowers only when these are not available. (Moths and Butterflies of North America)

I have to say, again, that I love homeschooling. I LOVE having my kids with me every day. I love watching them learn and discover, pursue their interests, and take extra time on something that really excites them.

(Remind me that I said all this, when we're trapped in the house together during the frigid months this winter.)