November 2011
1 post
8 tags
Our "Curriculum"
Please forgive me for the lack of update, life has been busy. The kids and I spent the end of October in Southern New York. When we came home, that first week was spent getting back into routine. Thankfully, over the weekend I had a few moments to myself to sit down and come up with our homeschooling schedule for the month.
During November, we are working on the importance of obedience and how...
October 2011
2 posts
5 tags
Learning Through Play
There is really no better way for a child to learn at a young age then through the art of playing. Try as you might to instruct an almost three year old child to learn their left from their right and you are bound to pull a few hairs from your head. Now slightly alter your approach and there will be laughter replacing those tears of frustration.
My first attempt at teaching Myra her left from her...
8 tags
First Homeschooling Adventures
Please forgive the gap between posts. We have been busy getting out into the sun, going for walks to the library, reading, spending time on farms and of course - learning. I love the thought of getting to watch my children learn, encouraging them, feeding their passions. Over the course of the last few weeks that is just what we have been doing.
We spent a sunny day apple picking a couple...
September 2011
13 posts
7 tags
Homeschooling in a Time of Educational Famine
My house has become consumed with books about homeschooling, the problems with the public education system, ways that children learn naturally, nature deficit disorder… if it has to do with children and education, the book is probably stacked *somewhere* in my house. They have taken over my living room, the bedroom, my kitchen table, and if I were a bathroom reader, a book or two would...
“Ralph Waldo Emerson, in his 1937 Phi Beta Kappa address, The American Scholar,...”
– Laura Brodie from Love in a time of Homeschooliong
3 tags
Rain Rain Go Away
We had quite a few rainy days this week. Our typical Wednesday outside was rained out and then we had more rain on Friday. After awhile, we were beginning to feel a little cooped up. Myra decided that we should make some muffins and while we waited for them to bake, I took out a matching game for us to play.
Myra received these as a gift for her first birthday and she has really mastered them...
“Listen to the mustn’ts, child. Listen to the don’ts. Listen to the...”
– Shel Silverstein
5 tags
The Rhythm
We’re now into week three and there is a definite structure to our homeschooling approach. I was a bit unsure at first what our days would look like - would they be very uniform, forgiving, or all over the place? My thinking was that with two young ones, it would probably be more all over the place but we have managed to keep a rhythm. Mornings in our house are usually spent devoting...
“Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and...”
Quiet Time
Our home is very humble. For outsiders looking in, there is no doubt that our house is well lived in. And for obvious reasons. The children and I spend most of our time at home, playing, cooking, making lots of messes, and I’ve come to realize that picking up after them while they are awake is a lost cause. In order to try and get a few things done around the house with two young children,...
“An education isn’t how much you have committed to memory, or even how much...”
– Anatole France
5 tags
Glue Sticks and Little Fingers
Since the “official start” of our homeschooling adventures last Tuesday, which was only a week ago, we already “took off” two days. The little ones and I came down with some bad sinus infections. Needless to say, we were on the couch reading books most of those two days, with the occasional special treat video when my throat got too scratchy to continue reading. Every year...
“And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long...”
– Kahlil Gibran
Our First, First Day
Yesterday, I decided that we were going to have our first official day of homeschool preschool. Okay, so it does not really require much, but my daughter has been asking about school a lot lately. She was given a backpack by our neighbors a couple weeks ago and since then she has been playing school every day. When she woke up and I told her it was her first day of homeschool she jumped up and...
9 tags
The Beginning
With many schools in our area starting school at the beginning of September, I thought it would be appropriate to officially start our homeschooling routine and begin a new chapter of blogging! For the past year, I’ve been sharing our homemade food creations over at The Seasonal Family and have now begun this blog as well.
A little over a year ago, my husband and I made a mutual decision...
The Homeschool Family
Whether you are beginning the journey of homeschooling, such as myself, or have been homeschooling your children for many years, I hope that you can find encouragement, inspiration and laughter here at The Homeschool Family. Even if you do not educate your children at home, as a parent you are their greatest teacher. To start, let me share a few ways that all parents can participate in...
