Here are a few things I wish I had known when I started homeschooling and some things I'm grateful were shared with me!
Homeschooling is like life. I wish I had known enough to cut myself some slack.
Homeschool is NOT like public school. There are no janitors, no lunch ladies, no parents who come in to help prepare your craft projects and if I try to pretend that I can do all that plus maintain my household and teach, I burn out.
Early on I was given some advice and I was hungry for it. When you homeschool, you get to pick your own busy. It's still busy, but it is the busy you choose.
Trying to do public school at home doesn't work in the long run.
When I first started, I had three that were school age and they had all gone to school for a full year or half of one at public school. There were things they missed. So, we talked about them and incorporated some of those things into our school day or week. They felt heard and validated. Involve your kids in designing your school days! (more on this when I share our main method)
One HUGE thing that I wish I had known is that the curriculum is not the goal. It is the means to the goal. Knowing my intentions for my kids has been a game changer.
I'll illustrate it this way. If you know what colors look best on you, when you shop, you look for those colors and pass the others by with confidence.
Same is true with curriculum, extra activities, shows to watch, books to read. When you know what you would like to accomplish and what their needs are, you then shop that way. You look for the curriculum, activities, books and shows that facilitate that. We all know, the time we have with our kids is short. We have to be intentional!
Since I have these intentions for my kids, I can then ask myself, what are their needs right now? How can I facilitate and provide opportunities for their growth and development to this end? What do I love that I want to pass onto them? What do they love that we can add to and find motivation from? THEN I can shop effectively. Otherwise, I end up overwhelmed with how I'm going to do it all!
I revisit my objectives and intentions often! In another post I will share my method for this so I actually do it. :)
I will plug this bit of advice about revelation right here. No matter what method of education you are pursuing this year for each of your kids, you can ask all these questions and learn the answers. This will guide you if you haven't decided what to do yet. Consider their needs and then ask yourself and God, how those needs will best be met. Oh, that guidance is for you! Our kids need for us to be guided and parent them with confidence.
This brings me to my next thing. :)
You absolutely do not need to know everything right now. Knowing all the answers to every unasked question is an unfair expectation for anyone. Ride this wave: "I love my kids and when they have questions, I can courageously find answers with them." You sure can and they will be better for it!
Why? Because that is a model that they can follow. They won't always know all the answers either. If they grow up thinking that their parents never wondered or sought out answers for themselves, what will they think when they don't know the answers?! "Something must be wrong with me. Now what do I do?!" Give them this gift. Ride the wave of asking questions and finding answers together! It is bonding, liberating and fun! Don't act like you're stupid, or they will too. Not knowing an answer does not make you stupid. Not digging for answers does. Enjoy the dig!
Okay, it has to be said. YOU are a person. Make time in your days, for you! No, all of it does not need to be before they wake up.
Here is one way I figure out what I need to do on my own and with my kids. I call this the "two birds with one stone" list. Make a list of your needs and a list of their needs. What do you have in common? Exercise, fresh air, brushing my teeth and hair, cleaning up after myself at breakfast, folding my laundry, singing, dancing, doing something artistic, eating healthy food, -to name a few.
This is a hodgepodge of advice. I am HAPPY to help. I know what I know from experience AND because others took time to answer my questions. You do not have to reinvent the wheel on everything. There are others on this ride too. Talk to them!
You will learn what works best for your kids and you. This is a PROCESS. Pay attention and tweak as you go. You have that privilege. You are not bound to every page of that curriculum and the amount of time they said to work on it. You are capable of assessing the energy in your house and deciding right then that homeschool will be at the park today or that instead, we are going for a walk, reading books and playing games today. You will learn to see these days as valuable to your family relationships and that is worthy to be called a WIN!
I look back over my homeschooling journey and I am amazed at the guidance I received as I went. I'll tell you this: often, things changed for the better for me because I talked to someone. Seriously, sometimes I barely knew them and we were at the park and other times, they were a dear friend. I heard something and it resonated with me so we changed courses. Listen. Consider the needs of your family and move your feet! Then the Lord has something to guide.
Homeschooling is like life, we figure it out as we go. We laugh and we cry, we eat too much chocolate and we remember to exercise..or we don't and that's okay!
Everyday is a gift. Truly. I love this homeschooling journey! It is a wonderful ride! Glad you're here for it! You've got this!
Next post: how I homeschool.
What questions do you have? What can I elaborate on further?
Homeschooling is like life. I wish I had known enough to cut myself some slack.
Homeschool is NOT like public school. There are no janitors, no lunch ladies, no parents who come in to help prepare your craft projects and if I try to pretend that I can do all that plus maintain my household and teach, I burn out.
Early on I was given some advice and I was hungry for it. When you homeschool, you get to pick your own busy. It's still busy, but it is the busy you choose.
Trying to do public school at home doesn't work in the long run.
When I first started, I had three that were school age and they had all gone to school for a full year or half of one at public school. There were things they missed. So, we talked about them and incorporated some of those things into our school day or week. They felt heard and validated. Involve your kids in designing your school days! (more on this when I share our main method)
One HUGE thing that I wish I had known is that the curriculum is not the goal. It is the means to the goal. Knowing my intentions for my kids has been a game changer.
I'll illustrate it this way. If you know what colors look best on you, when you shop, you look for those colors and pass the others by with confidence.
Same is true with curriculum, extra activities, shows to watch, books to read. When you know what you would like to accomplish and what their needs are, you then shop that way. You look for the curriculum, activities, books and shows that facilitate that. We all know, the time we have with our kids is short. We have to be intentional!
Since I have these intentions for my kids, I can then ask myself, what are their needs right now? How can I facilitate and provide opportunities for their growth and development to this end? What do I love that I want to pass onto them? What do they love that we can add to and find motivation from? THEN I can shop effectively. Otherwise, I end up overwhelmed with how I'm going to do it all!
I revisit my objectives and intentions often! In another post I will share my method for this so I actually do it. :)
I will plug this bit of advice about revelation right here. No matter what method of education you are pursuing this year for each of your kids, you can ask all these questions and learn the answers. This will guide you if you haven't decided what to do yet. Consider their needs and then ask yourself and God, how those needs will best be met. Oh, that guidance is for you! Our kids need for us to be guided and parent them with confidence.
This brings me to my next thing. :)
You absolutely do not need to know everything right now. Knowing all the answers to every unasked question is an unfair expectation for anyone. Ride this wave: "I love my kids and when they have questions, I can courageously find answers with them." You sure can and they will be better for it!
Why? Because that is a model that they can follow. They won't always know all the answers either. If they grow up thinking that their parents never wondered or sought out answers for themselves, what will they think when they don't know the answers?! "Something must be wrong with me. Now what do I do?!" Give them this gift. Ride the wave of asking questions and finding answers together! It is bonding, liberating and fun! Don't act like you're stupid, or they will too. Not knowing an answer does not make you stupid. Not digging for answers does. Enjoy the dig!
Okay, it has to be said. YOU are a person. Make time in your days, for you! No, all of it does not need to be before they wake up.
Here is one way I figure out what I need to do on my own and with my kids. I call this the "two birds with one stone" list. Make a list of your needs and a list of their needs. What do you have in common? Exercise, fresh air, brushing my teeth and hair, cleaning up after myself at breakfast, folding my laundry, singing, dancing, doing something artistic, eating healthy food, -to name a few.
This is a hodgepodge of advice. I am HAPPY to help. I know what I know from experience AND because others took time to answer my questions. You do not have to reinvent the wheel on everything. There are others on this ride too. Talk to them!
You will learn what works best for your kids and you. This is a PROCESS. Pay attention and tweak as you go. You have that privilege. You are not bound to every page of that curriculum and the amount of time they said to work on it. You are capable of assessing the energy in your house and deciding right then that homeschool will be at the park today or that instead, we are going for a walk, reading books and playing games today. You will learn to see these days as valuable to your family relationships and that is worthy to be called a WIN!
I look back over my homeschooling journey and I am amazed at the guidance I received as I went. I'll tell you this: often, things changed for the better for me because I talked to someone. Seriously, sometimes I barely knew them and we were at the park and other times, they were a dear friend. I heard something and it resonated with me so we changed courses. Listen. Consider the needs of your family and move your feet! Then the Lord has something to guide.
Homeschooling is like life, we figure it out as we go. We laugh and we cry, we eat too much chocolate and we remember to exercise..or we don't and that's okay!
Everyday is a gift. Truly. I love this homeschooling journey! It is a wonderful ride! Glad you're here for it! You've got this!
Next post: how I homeschool.
What questions do you have? What can I elaborate on further?
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