Being INTENTIONAL With Education

There are many ways to give our children an education, and what is best for each family will take many forms.  I believe it is important for ALL parents to intentionally seek what is best for their own children.  Needs, abilities, and resources vary greatly.  With that being said, and without being an expert, I'd like to suggest two things to all parents in order to honestly make/ confirm (if your children are already school age) this important decision.

Take an inventory and do some research. 

By an inventory, I mean ask yourself three honest questions. 

1.  'What are the most important things I want for my child/ children?'  Look at ALL aspects of life.  My answers to this question for my kids include things like love for their Savior, strong family relationships, good work ethics, and a love of learning.  Actually, those are my top four.  Put your answers in order so you can see what your priorities are. 

2.  'What do I want to see academically for my child/ children?' or 'What do I think he/ she/ they should learn?'  For each, answer 'Why is this important?' and then prioritize that list.  Be sure to answer 'why' for each thing.  If you find that your honest answer is because you feel some sort of pressure from the 'experts' or the world around you and you don't have another good reason, be willing and ready to evaluate/ research if that thing IS important or not; then decide for yourself.  Really focus on your child's strengths, weaknesses, interests, and learning style(s) when you do this part.

Part of mine looks something like this: Love to learn because if they love it, they will do it willingly, continually, and they will learn so much more.  Be allowed to go at their own pace because that will make it a happy experience and, in truth, I can't actually MAKE them learn very much.  Learn to read because books allow them to learn just about everything.  Learn certain life skills (i.e. cooking) because I believe it's important to contribute to the family and I want them to be able to take care of their own families someday. 

3. 'What would the good and bad aspects of 'X type of education' be for my family?'  Make a list for each and consider things like academics, family relationships, friendships, work, play, ethics, and morals.  Look at your previous priority lists for some guidance on this.  I've found that focusing on my top priorities tends to help things fall in place.

If your inventory leads to a private or public option for education, research that.  There are many types of schools available.  Be sure that you are doing what is best for YOUR family considering all factors.  There may be groups (i.e. facebook, yahoo, local parent groups, etc.) dedicated to supporting these options.  Educate yourself on what will be taught in 'X' school and others' experiences with it.

Now, if your inventory leads you to consider homeschooling, let's talk about some research.  You might be thinking: 'How do I do this?',  ' CAN I do this?', 'I don't know where to start!'  It's scary to take the road less travelled, especially for the first time.  Actually, I'm convinced that is THE hardest part about homeschooling, at least for many. 

While I believe strongly in the method I use, I recommend reading about multiple methods to see which ones will best fit with the priorities you've identified in your inventory.  There are so many ways to go about homeschooling (canned curriculums, winging it, child led, parent led, specific philosophies like Charlotte Mason, unschooling, etc.).  Identifying what will fit your family best will greatly increase your confidence and save you much frustration (and probably money too).  I will add that prayer played an important role in our family's decision.

It can also be really helpful to join some of homeschool groups where you can ask specific questions, and glean from the other conversations.  These are available on facebook, yahoo, locally just about everywhere, and probably many other places that I'm unaware of.  I'm part of several on facebook including a few for my specific style, a general one with others from my religion, and one for my local area.  They are a great source for support, information, and ideas. 

Here's a very short 'how' with what has worked best for my family and which I think can be applied to all situations.

1. Environment.  I've found that creating a great learning environment is inspiring.  For us it's very simple: we have lots and lot of books...everywhere...and we are regulars at the library.  We also have very limited electronic media use.  Kids will naturally gravitate to and use what they are surrounded by.  This is especially true when distractions are minimalized, which is why we limit electronics so much.  A great learning environment will look different in every home.  Some people will have lots of art supplies available, some will have maps everywhere, some will have lots of educational games, and many have a combination.  Identify your biggest distractions and reduce them, at least for school hours.  Some common distractions are media, messes, and noise (including crying and fighting children).

2. Love of Learning.  If I aim for a love of learning, I find that I can usually figure out how to teach my children on their level AND make it enjoyable for all of us.  It helps me keep an appropriate amount of pressure for school activities, and helps me relax enough to receive inspiration for what they need from me.  I can't say enough for allowing a child to work at their own pace and according to what they REALLY need.  The right pace makes all the difference in the world.  It means the difference between a happy experience and a miserable one, and it lays the groundwork for a child to willingly learn their whole life through.  It also takes much LESS time for a child to master something when they are allowed to learn it WHEN THEY ARE READY.  Academic skills (which is primarily what most are focused on at the elementary ages) can often be learned very quickly; we waste a lot of time and effort, and risk developing a 'hate of learning' when these things are pushed at the wrong times.

3. Reasonable and Realistic Goals.  When I look at my own priority list, and consider my own strengths, weaknesses, and life factors (schedule, family duties, environment, etc.), as well as the same for my children, I can set good goals for our school days.  The priority list is HUGE in this.  I have to be reasonable with myself and my children.  When I am, things are happy and smooth.  

Last, on the topic of research I'll briefly mention the method I subscribe to.  It's called a Thomas Jefferson Education: Leadership Education (TJEd).  Basically it's a principle based method that can be applied in any setting.  It gives an understanding of HOW children naturally progress through learning phases, and principles to best guide them.  I love it because it allows me to teach academics the same way I teach my kids our religion.  It's natural, happy, and inspired.  I'm able to throw out anything that doesn't work and pull in anything that does.  If anything I've said previously, or in my blog posts ring true for you and your family, I HIGHLY recommend looking into TJEd.  The intro book is a very easy, straightforward read.  Here's the webpage: http://www.tjed.org/  A good place to start is by reading their introductions on the 7 Keys and the Phases of Learning.

Finally, I'll share a couple of resources.  Here are two FABULOUS homeschool blogs:

http://simplehomeschool.net/

http://www.lolipoplearning.blogspot.com/

Update

School is moving along, and I haven't been taking many pictures, so I tend to forget the things the are noteworthy.  Overall, things are happy and interesting.  Some of what we've been up to includes: lots of reading (shocker, I know), science experiments, Cub scout activities, pen-paling, and lots of discussion.  So, pretty much like normal, but normal is SO good.

These pictures are on our family blog, but they totally relate to school.  This gratitude tree was a school activity one day.

We also had our first snow day (where we skipped school to play in the snow) last week.  :)

Finally, we'd like to announce that our 'class' will be growing soon!

Fall Fun

We've been having a fantastic school year so far.  It always feels great to get back into our routine, and we are constantly having enjoyable learning moments.  School is FUN and learning with these kids is the BEST!

Based on photos, here are a few great moments:

We spent some time flying and learning about rockets.

We re-commenced cooking lessons.  I let Annie and Logan cook different items SIMULTANEOUSLY.  That is HUGE for me.

Of course, we're always reading around here.  We actually maxed out our library card last week.  Oops!

One afternoon I was feeling rather UN-inspired so we went outside to play a math game per request.  The kids liked it; I felt rather blah about it.  THEN we saw a neat looking caterpillar during our game, and then another different caterpillar.  This led to some research about what kind they were, and that led to hunting for more bugs and more research.  Before I knew it were having a really interesting lesson.  As if it couldn't get better, we found this toad just as we were winding down to go back inside.  That led to more research, of course, and before I knew it our morning was over.

 

At some point we started this science experiment.  We're testing to see what happens to jelly beans and smarties in different liquids.  Two weeks later, they're still sitting on the counter because we decided to give them longer to disintegrate.  I think I'll draw the line at three weeks.  LOL

 These pictures were after 24 hours. 

Alex has a head for numbers!  He's been requesting his own math lessons every day, so we've been playing with it.  I've been super impressed with this little guy.  He doesn't remember how to count above a certain number without help, so instead he groups things into smaller numbers to figure out how many there are or how many he needs.  I can give him a scenario and he'll add, subtract, or multiply objects to find the answer.  It's hard to describe without seeing him do it, but it's very abstract for such a little guy, and I didn't teach him to do it!  This picture was taken on a day we used Legos for math.  He LOVES it!

We've been going to the library almost every week this fall and have found many interesting things to learn about.

Our book collection is ever growing as well.  Yesterday I rescued a full set of Childcraft books for $3.75, and they were in perfect condition!  Yes!

We also had a field trip to a show about the Wright brothers.  It was really neat to learn about their lives and how they invented the airplane.  We had some great discussion afterward.  (Pardon my bad phone pictures; I wanted to document our day.)

Officially Back to School

Logan had the opportunity for a special visit in Colorado during the last month, so we put off 'officially' starting our school year until today.

This is what we did when everyone in our area had their first day of school (almost a month ago).

Another day we re-organized our school closet.  Jim added two shelves for this year, so everything fits very comfortably now.  This makes life so much easier!

We joined Logan in Colorado for a whole family vacation, and returned four days ago.  Last night we discussed the new school year in our family meeting.  The kids gave input for things they'd like to learn about and projects they'd like to work on this year.  They also requested the school store again.  So I sent them to bed promising the 'school fairy' would come overnight and have things ready for their first day of school.

The first thing the 'school fairy' completed were the guidelines for the school store.  Our school store has a few changes from last year, but is mostly the same.  It works as a motivator for areas in which we sometimes need an extra boost.

The 'school fairy' also prepped their 'surprise folders' for the day (explanation below) and their supply boxes (pencils, crayons, glue, scissors, etc.).  They were quite excited about them.  Simplicity works so well.  We had a special breakfast consisting of an oatmeal bar just for fun, completed our morning chores, and dove in.

The 'surprise folders' are a variation on the workbox concept.  I discovered last spring that I could use these as a self motivating and inspiring tool.  I put various activities in their folders like math games, writing activities, other educational activities (i.e. Mad Libs), and open ended options (i.e. 'Read something of your choosing, and then draw a picture or write about what you learned.'  'Choose something for Mom to read to everyone.'  'Explore a topic in the encyclopedia and share.'  'Select something from the school closet.'  Etc...).  The folders are a surprise because I fill them when they aren't around, and then they are only allowed to pull one file out at a time in the order I've placed them.  If an activity requires everyone (like a read aloud), we all stop what we're doing to join in.  That might sound crazy, but the kids all love it.  The 'everyone' activities tend to be the most fun and involve the most learning anyway.  I don't use the folders every day; much of the time we have lengthier activities that we work on all together that wouldn't allow for the folders.  I like the folders for days we need a little more enthusiasm, when I'm not feeling up to par, or when we don't have anything particular we are working on.  They take about five to ten minutes to prep total, so they are also an easy option.

Logan picked up right where he left off after our long break, and enthusiastically started his folder.  I was quite amazed at how quickly he flew through everything!  Once he was finished he decided to build a clock, and I finally remembered to take a picture.

Annie was almost as enthused as Logan.  She was a little stressed about certain things because she tends toward perfectionism.  I don't require perfectionism in their work because they are still so young, but she holds herself to a high standard AND she wants to do everything.  I can't count the number of times she's asked for 'harder math' only to cry because she doesn't like the way she writes her numbers.  The math isn't difficult for her, but she wants it to look perfect.  It's tricky finding a balance sometimes.  She was mostly fine, though, and really had a great day.  Her final folder had an art activity in it (pictured below).  I try to make the last activity one they will thoroughly enjoy; it serves as a motivator.

Alex flew through his folder.  I only gave him three activities because that was about right for his attention span the last time we did them.  I think he needs more next time.  He was really excited about this color and cut page I slipped in his folder today.  Jonah is his favorite scripture story.  He was also the most excited about his supply box. 

This little lady threw the biggest tantrum of her young life this morning.  It was incredible!  I have no idea what she was so mad about.  She continued being cranky for a long time after she stopped pounding the floor, so she spent most of our first school day in bed.  After a nice long nap she seems to be more herself.

After 'official' school activities, the kids have continued doing various things from the school closet all afternoon.  The school closet is off limits without permission, so the items in it are considered special.  It has art supplies, educational games/ activities, puzzles, messy creative items (play dough, clay, bubbles, etc.), school supplies, a few very special books, and various odd things (music maker, light bright, Bendaroos, etc.).  Our closet has served as a wonderful inspiration time and again.

Motherhood is HARD

I have been a stressed out momma lately and I've desperately wanted a break.  So last weekend, Jim and I left the kids with his parents and headed to Omaha for a little vacation.  It was wonderful and inspiring.  We attended an education conference during which we heard Nicholeen Peck speak.  Afterwards we participated in a session in the Winter Quarters Temple.  On Sunday we went to church and enjoyed the opportunity to listen to Nicholeen once more at an evening fireside.  On Monday we had some fun before heading home, and on Tuesday I was home without the kids for one final day. 

It was so EASY.  I didn't have little people arguing with me, screaming, or destroying my house for FOUR whole days.  I didn't have to cook or clean.  It was QUIET.  I could go somewhere at the drop of a hat, and accurately predict how much time I needed to get ready in the morning (which was surprisingly little).  Getting in the car took no time at all.  Bedtime was a breeze!  BUT, I missed my kids like crazy.  When a family with four kids sat next to us during church, and their little boy had to be taken out of the meeting repeatedly, I wanted my bunch.  I probably would have had to escape to the mother's lounge with a fussy baby as usual, but nevertheless, I wanted them.  When we listened to Nicholeen speak and inspire us about parenting, I wanted to rush home and be a better mother.  When we watched Mom's Night Out in the theatre, I cried and laughed to the point Jim was concerned; I intensely felt all of that 'mom stress', yet I couldn't wait to get back to my own family chaos.  On Tuesday I was amazed at how quiet our home was and how productive I could be without being pulled in twenty directions, but it was TOO quiet.

I rejoiced to have my kiddos back on Wednesday and we promptly went back to normal.  Last night I had my sleep interrupted for a bed wetting accident and then a teething baby.  Today I had cookie dough ingredients flung in a 5 foot radius all over my kitchen because someone turned the mixer on high and later tortilla chips purposely stomped on all over the rug.  I've cleaned vomit and had a half dressed four year old running around outside.  I've had the Frozen soundtrack blaring through the house while one child sang along at the top of her lungs, one child ran through the house making airplane noises, and another somehow did both.  I've been argued with, cried at, climbed on, jumped on, and whined at.  I've played referee and been interrupted dozens of times.  This motherhood thing is HARD.  It's EXHAUSTING.  It's pull-my-hair-out-can't-think-straight-crazy.  AND I LOVE IT.

Why?  Why did I intensely miss my kids during our wonderful get-a-way?  Why would I rather wrestle four kids through church than sit quietly and be able to listen?  Why am I happy today and can call this a good day?  It's because I am serving my FAMILY.  It's because families are the place we grow the most.  Families are the heaven on earth, tantrums and all.  There is nothing more important than the work I do within my own family, and there is nothing more exalting.  In families we come close to God.  In families we come to understand His love for us and how to love as He does.  My love grows as I serve my family members: sacrificing my sleep for their needs, cleaning our home, being calm through the tantrums and arguments, teaching and nurturing children, etc.  It IS a lot of work.  It is very difficult at times, but I wouldn't trade these little people for the world.

Many are the blessings (payoffs?) of motherhood: the snuggles, seeing the light in a child's eyes, watching a happy discovery, fun moments together, the smiles and giggles, the joy that comes from witnessing a good choice, the innocence and unrestrained love, etc.  Often these are the things that get me through the day.  I think the biggest blessing, though, is how I am allowed to grow.  Nothing stretches me like taking care of these kids.  Nothing else requires so much service.  It's in the most difficult moments that I'm learning to love the most, and getting through those moments are what refines my character and brings the most peace. 

I love a song the children are learning in Primary this year.  It's called The Family Is Of God, and I particularly love the third verse and chorus:

"A mother's purpose is to care, prepare, to nurture and to strengthen all her children.  
She teaches children to obey, to pray, to love and serve in the family.
God gave us families to help us become what He wants us to be.
This is how He shares His love, for the family is of God."

It's true!  It's oh so true!

Reading, Reading, Reading

I have little to say except that we're still reading, reading, reading around here.  And this baby is adorable.

Peaceful Moments

I really relish moments like these during our homeschool days.

On this particular day I was sitting on the couch reading when the kids joined me on the couch.  Logan was on one side reading scriptures and Annie and Alex on the other side reading scripture stories together.  I am so grateful I get to have so many moments like these with my awesome little people.  Sweet.  Peaceful.  Wonderful.

Cooking Curriculum

A couple of weeks ago I had an 'aha' moment.  Logan and Annie are mature enough to cook!  They aren't quite tall enough, but with our genetics we can't wait for that!  :)  They were very excited when I told them that they'd be learning to make meals by themselves.  We aren't doing it every day (because it takes a lot of patience for this Momma who dislikes cooking), but they've each learned to prepare a few meals already.  I'm teaching one kid at a time in order to preserve my sanity, and it has been wonderful!

Logan had the first lesson.  He made scrambled eggs 100% by himself.

He was so pleased with himself.  :)

 Annie's first meal was also scrambled eggs.

She also made breakfast hash that day.  I wish I could have recorded her excitement when she realized she was going to use a sharp knife to cut the tomatoes (which took a very looooong time).

Logan's second meal was a basic pasta and veggies with sauce.  He chose all of his ingredients and was incredibly pleased with the result.  He even made sure we saved some for Jim to try after work.

We've had a few other lessons since.  They love it and are sure to tell me who's turn it is to cook next.  I'm thinking I need to start a book or box for each of them to keep the recipes they've learned in.  I'm loving that they will be able to help more in the kitchen soon.  Already, Logan has made lunch for us one day withOUT my direct supervision.  It was heavenly.

Times and Seasons

I've been frustrated lately with how little time I'm finding to blog.  Not only do I use these blogs as family journals/ scrapbooks, but I want to record my own education and musings on this one.  I can't count the number of posts I've written in my head that have stayed there. 

So I'm reminding myself that busy motherhood is the season of life I'm in.  My blogs very accurately show that.  The kids are my daily focus right now.  While I may squeeze in some fantastic reading, or have profound thoughts and conversations on the side, the children consume most of my time.  Thankfully, that's as it should be.  One of these days, I'm going to write one of my 'thinking' posts, though!  :)

Spring Break?

With the snow finally melting, I was literally ready for a spring break last week.  I wanted to break out of the house!  So even though we'd already had one field trip, we took a second one a couple of days later.  This one was to the children's museum we have a membership to.

We practically had the place to ourselves which was so nice.

Abby had so much fun playing this time, and the kids even ended up on video.  A student from the local university was doing a project about the museum and he wanted to show kids enjoying the exhibits.  When he said 'movie' the kids were more than happy to accommodate.

I discovered a flyer while we were at the children's museum that was advertising dollar admission for all sorts of things this week.  It's too good of a deal to pass up, so it looks like we might be having an official spring break this week after all.  :)

Yesterday I took the kids to a children's science museum.  I'll say this.  For three bucks total, it was worth it.  For $13 an adult and $8 a kid, it is a huge rip off.  I'm so glad we went on a dollar day.  The exhibits themselves are mostly a lot of 'push a button and see what happens'.  The scientific explanations are written out with each thing, but kids don't generally read those.  $3 fun, yes.  $29 fun, no.  The best part was the combustion demonstration we watched; that really was interesting AND neat to watch. 

This was the most hands on thing.  Logan enjoyed trying to build a robot.

There were a few animals (mostly small snakes, frogs, and turtles) plus this big python.  

They were so funny about this picture.  I wanted them to stand in front of the snake, but they didn't want to be close to it with their backs turned.

Abby enjoyed crawling around a little baby area.

True to form, Annie found reading material, and spent quite a while reading.

After the science museum, we went to a children's theatre which was another dollar admission event.  I didn't know what to expect, but it turned out well.  It was a humorous recitation of several nursery rhymes complete with audience participation.  Any children who wanted to act were pulled onto the stage and given parts.  The boys enjoyed watching only, but Annie participated in one of the skits.  She thought it was pretty neat to be on stage. 

Today we had plans to collect sap at a nature preserve, but a naughty child changed that.  Tomorrow and Thursday we're going to have play dates with friends who are out of school, and Friday I think we'll see what the other dollar admission places have to offer.  Spring break?  I think so.  :)