A Learning Rich Environment

Years ago, I realized that having a learning rich environment was going to be an essential ingredient of my mothering and of my children's education. I think it's the foundation upon what I allow in the home and what I veto. It's also an attitude I have towards what kinds of things I encourage my kids to spend their time doing. For example, I try not to interrupt them when they are "practicing/playing" the piano even if they do have chores to do because I want them to develop their musical talents. We have several maps up in the house...the World and the US maps in the kitchen that frequently spawn geography discussions. We have book shelves everywhere, including in both of the kids' bedrooms. I used to keep the crayons and markers out of my oldest son's reach when he was little to avert messes, then I decided to make them more accessible to everyone. They're on the 4th shelf of the bookshelf so my baby doesn't get into them at will. My daughter gets them down daily to draw, color, or write. (Maybe that's why my oldest has an aversion to writing...I prohibited him free access to it when he was 3...). I try to be available to answer their questions. Sometimes I try to encourage the older one to find his own answers.

My house often looks this crazy!

I try to say Yes to my kids. I so often tell them No, we can't do that right now--so it's really good when I tell them Yes. Usually it's something that creates a mess or requires a lot of me/time to make it happen. Lately, my 6yo has just been doing his own thing when I tell him Yes. Sometimes I just have to take a deep breath and allow him to do it his own way because I know it's ultimately good for him to try and succeed or try and fail on his own. He also is exercising his independence and leadership when he does that. My 4yo daughter will just do it anyway...so it's better when I give her permission so I don't have to scold her later. 

I also try not to interrupt my children when they are doing "constructive" play...like pretend play and cooperative play and inventive/building play. Lately, I've been getting a little stingy about the types of toys I allow in the house. There are so many "junk" toys out there that don't encourage make believe play or interaction or invention/building and just make lots of messes, so I've been putting my foot down on those. And I've encouraged their Grandma's to get them toys and activities that encourage learning. We still get plenty of "junk" toys from birthday parties. But I try to limit what they bring home on their own. I think that helps.

Educational Philosophies

A friend on Facebook asked me advice as to what to do to get ready to homeschool her children. Her oldest is 2, so she has a bit of time to research things. This is what I said to her. I would like to share this because it's basically a compilation and record (for myself) of the research I've done on homeschooling methods/philosophies for the past several years.

It's good that you want to start gathering information already. The best thing I can recommend is to do a bunch of reading...I think it's important to decide how you want to home educate your children. Because each way is so different, it's important that you do your research and decide on something that can provide a great foundation for your home education. The reason why I say that is that there are SO MANY resources, educational philosophies, and curriculums. But if you choose an educational philosophy that resonates with you, it will be easier to narrow down what you feel like with work with you and your family. The reason why I say you is that you will be their primary educator, so you need to choose a philosophy that really resonates with you.

Here are some educational philosophies that are worth looking into. Just check out books from the library at first...only buy the ones that resonate with you.
www.homeschool.com has a bunch of other resources if you want to pick and choose your curriculum/resources. They also have a bunch of webcasts that you can listen to that give you a general idea of the different philosophies. I've listened to some of them and haven't thoroughly researched these things. But at least I have a basic understanding what each one is and it has helped me realize if it's for me or not.


School at home:
Basically it looks a lot like school at home...textbooks, workbooks, assignments, quizzes, etc.
www.k12.com is a good example of what this looks like.


Non-traditional types of schooling:
Unschooling: Look up Unschooling on the internet and you'll come across some articles written by a male teacher who got fed up with the educational system and started promoting unschooling. Basically...provide your kids with tools for learning, don't force them to learn, and they will amaze you with how much they want to learn and how much they do learn.

Charlotte Mason: She seems to focus on early education...nature studies, children's natural curiosity. She encourages a lot of reading, especially living books which would be like classics and scripture.

Waldorf: Chants and rote memorization in the early years combined with life skills like knitting, sculpting in bees wax, baking. Waldorf describes what ages learn which skills best. He doesn't push reading and writing until 1st/2nd grade. Lots of nature time.

Lapbooking and Unit studies: A unit study is when you take one topic (like astronomy) and bring in a bunch of subjects to teach it (read stories, work math problems, do science experiments, read history of astronomers). Lapbooks are a popular way of bringing the unit study together in a portfolio form.

Montessori: Systematically teaching your child one skill that builds upon another. Encourages learning at one's own pace. Uses a lot of touch and manipulative. There are many charter schools that use her methods.


Classical education:
Book: The Well-Trained Mind: education based on the Trivium. Early grades focus on the grammar of learning--memorization of facts. Middle years focus on bringing that learning into context. Later years focus on rhetoric--being able to effectively communicate that learning to others. The book is very detailed in the curriculum it recommends and even gives sample scheduling as to how to implement it in the home.

Book: Thomas Jefferson Leadership Education: A classical based education based off of the kind of education the founding fathers received...from mentors, not teachers. The way the mentor (parent or other) guides the child (the learner is in charge of his/her education, the mentor guides and inspires the education but doesn't force it) in learning changes as they move through phases. Preserving the Love of Learning throughout all phases is essential.
Core phase (0-8 yrs) is all about right/wrong, good/bad, work/play.
Love of Learning (9-12ish) begins to love reading, learning, experimenting, exploring, inventing, etc, but still engages in a lot of childhood play.
Scholar phase (13-18) is when the learner buckles down and really studies...often 8+ hours a day. Gaps are filled in, learning really happens.
Depth phase (19-25) is essentially college...where the depth and breadth of learning and knowledge happens.
Mission phase (life) is when you take your knowledge and learning and pass it along to others through the special life mission that is God's gift to you as a unique person.

The philosophy that resonates the most with me is the Thomas Jefferson Leadership Education. But it took a few years after reading the book the first time for me to really agree with it. :) I don't follow their recommendations, I do my own thing. A lot of homeschoolers do their own thing...mix and match. They call it eclectic homeschooling.

I hope this all helps!

A Peep into our Homeschool Life

I am taking some classes for me...for the MOM and I love, love, love them. This summer, I took a class about energy management and renewal. I studied several youth classics like Heidi, The Bronze Bow, Little Men. Right now I'm studying Uncle Tom's Cabin. And I'm taking a class about the nuts and bolts of homeschooling...simplifying, family work, and I forget the name of the last session. I just listened to the recording of the class on simplifying (since I'm not able to attend at the time). And it was so good. I decided to email the teachers and this is what I wrote them. I'm sharing this on my blog because so many people ask me what my homeschool day looks like and this covers it a bit:

I just now watched the recording and I just have to say THANK YOU! I always need the reminder to simplify. For me, it's mostly about simplifying my schedule. But I also have found that simplifying my stuff helps me sail through a busier schedule better. A few months ago, we purged about 1/2 of all of our kids' toys. I'm ready to get rid of more. :) Always. I've always been pretty good about minimal clothing. I have 4 kids and just 2 dressers. They each have 3 drawers and it helps me keep up on the laundry. There's no way I can go a week with letting the laundry pile up, somebody will run out of something.

I'll just share a little about what's going on with me right now. I have kids 8, 6, 4, 1. We're already busy with music lessons, soccer season, Cub Scouts and me being a new Den leader (with the learning curve), a LOLIPOP group with me being a project leader, twice-a-month homeschool park days, working at my husband's office one afternoon a week (because I already tried doing the marketing from home for 2 years and I just didn't get much done--he started his own business 2 3/4 years ago so it's still in the building phase), and watching my 5yo nephew once a week so his mom can get quality 1 on 1 time with her 10yo Love Of Learning daughter...that's my family service.

Some weeks, I can handle it. I'm so glad I started meditating a few months ago...and that I decided to work on anger management. August and September were really bad months for me. My 4yo daughter started saying the "I hate you" phrase a little too much because I was wound up a little too much and my voice was a little too harsh too often. But sometime in September, the meditation started kicking in and more often than not, I find myself handling situations with more calm and perspective instead of just reacting.

Last week, because I don't feel right about pulling out of the music lessons (I'm committed for the semester) and soccer season right now, I decided to simplify my academic expectations for them. (It's not like our schooling schedule was even rigorous...I was only doing core subjects once a week since they are all basically Core phasers: Monday was Math day, Tuesday was History/Countries, Wednesday was Science, and Thursday was Grammar/Spelling.) But with our schedule and chores and their need to practice their music lessons, it was taking a toll and they really just wanted to play anytime we were home. So last week, I told them that we would put a hold on the formal schooling and just get back to the basics...work, reading time, play, and music practice. I even put reading time right after breakfast instead of requiring the work first because they always gravitate to the couch with a book right after breakfast. I used to fight that and push them to work, but now I'm trying the devotional and reading. They sure like it. I still have to push them to do their work after reading time...they just want to play. It's working, usually. Each of them is also more prone to wanting to practice their music. I will probably keep it this way until somebody starts asking/begging to do core subjects again.

I still feel like I don't have enough time in my days. My afternoons are too busy so I'm not getting as much personal study time in and they aren't getting as much quiet time in. I'm sure there is more I can do to simplify our family schedules. I love the idea of saving mornings for home. I can't wait until my oldest is old enough to leave home with the napping baby...that's one of the hardest parts of having all young children. Any time I have to go somewhere, everyone has to come, too, whether they like it or not.

I would ask for your suggestions, but I know that I just need to pray and ask God how I need to simplify. The last time I asked Him what I should take out (I'm always telling my husband that I'll be happy to quit any time he can find a replacement for me), I actually got an interesting answer...I felt like He didn't want me to remove anything but that He wanted me to keep doing these things and learn (efficiency? leadership? better time management? household management? delegation?) and grow because of everything I'm doing.

One thing I've done is implemented a more solid reading time which includes poetry and regular reading from classics. I'm building in the devotional. I'm so hit and miss with that. When I do bring back regular academics, it will be when one or more of my kids wants more learning after our reading time is done.

Thanks for letting me ramble.

One thing is Constant

Change.

Since my last post, a whole lot in our life has changed. We welcomed a baby boy into our family last April! Needless to say, the '10 and '11 school year came and went and now my next son is reading, my oldest loves math, and my 3yo daughter is trying to keep up with everyone!! It's a constant struggle trying to figure out what's "best" for our family, but it's a great struggle to have.

We added something to our "school time" that we have just loved...hiking with another homeschool family. We live in the perfect place for hiking (near Prescott, AZ). It's something I've loved all my life and I decided the best way to incorporate it into my own life is to include my children.


It's fun to turn heads as just a couple of moms and 7 young children go hiking in the middle of a school day. And it's awesome because our kids are learning tons of stuff! As we hike, we stop to look at plants, insects, birds, reptiles, deer, the geology, and we get exercise along with learning how to be tough, be persistent, navigate the trails, reach goals, hang out with friends, and just have fun.

Swamped

A homeschool blog that I follow, Latter-day Homeschooling, has a post that asks homeschooling moms to share their schedules. It's always nice to hear different ideas on how different families organize their days. I always need it because it's inspirational. And I'm planning on linking this to the site. Not because I think my schedule is amazing. It's not. I'm not even following it. It's because our lives are swamped right now, yet we're doing what we need to do. And I'm sure we're not the only family out there who is swamped. So...this is for those moms who are swamped and might feel guilty about how organized others are when life just isn't allowing you to be organized yet.

It's okay! That's where I am, too!

I have a 6yo, a 4yo, and a 2yo, so I feel blessed that our schooling doesn't have to be rigorous right now while life is swamped. We can just stick to the basics and encourage learning in anything the kids are interested in and that's fine! It always amazes me how often the kids choose to do something academic when they are not pushed to do it.

We started our school year in the middle of August because public school starts then, too. I've decided to do 6 week sessions with 6 weeks on and 1 week off. We just do "school work" Mon-Thurs with a break on Friday. I started the first 6 weeks following a routine schedule (I'm not ready to go by the clock...I enjoy my freedom too much!)...breakfast, KidSchool/devotional, family work, lunch, quiet time/reading, project time, dinner. On school days, they are not allowed to watch TV and I occasionally allow them to play an "educational" computer game. If they get bored, I encourage them to do a learning activity or work.

But life happens. My husband's work schedule has been very erratic lately (he just started a business last January and has his practice open for patients on different days to keep operating costs down). He's great at doing educational things with the kids, but he's not the best at following a routine schedule. So, my routine schedule has mostly gone out the window. :) (It hasn't helped that we've had unexpected company, sickness, new demanding church callings, and always working to boost business.)

That's okay. The kids are still learning. Mainly, I have felt the need to teach them more about family work. So that has been one of our foci (plural for focus, right?). Mon and Thurs are laundry days, Wed is clean-the-house day, Tues is errands (generally). Fri is daily basics, and oddly, they often want to do an art project or play an educational game on Fridays! If only we didn't have so much housework to do! (Maybe I need to re-think the amount of work we do every day...to free up time for school?)

Amazingly, my 6yo has made a significant jump in his reading skills just in the last week (yea for having him read his own verse during family scripture study!). We still make regular visits to the library, which always results in bringing many books home. The kids have adjusted well to no TV on school days, and it does really create that boredom vacuum where they choose to do something educational (and to me, a 6yo following a complicated Lego instruction booklet for a couple of hours each day for a week to complete a Lego design is educational...it stretched his concentration, problem solving skills, matching, patterns, etc) . The 6yo started 4H and is really excited about that. The 4yo and 6yo begin soccer tomorrow. We participate in a weekly Adventure group where we attend a museum, go to a park, or a lake with other homeschool families.

And just feeding the natural curiosity of a child helps them learn. I answer their questions, and let them play (I try hard not to interrupt it...if I need to, I wait until the play-harmony is gone, then I step in). The other day, they watched The Restoration video and then went outside, rearranged some rocks in our backyard, and searched for the Golden Plates. At the very least, my busy-ness allows them ample opportunities to play. And when I listen to their play, I can hear them grow in their understanding of the world around them. And, oddly, I'm at peace with how their education is going right now.

Gettin Organized

With the start of a new school year comes the itch to not only figure out some curriculum, but also to GET ORGANIZED! Ahhh. It always feels so good to organize a little. But it didn't turn out as I planned. This was my plan: toys in the closet, school toys in the armoire (so I could put a child lock on it and theoretically only allow the children access to those items at certain times of the day. It's The Closet idea taken from TJed families, best explained on this blog.).

My 4yo did not like the idea of me moving his toys out of the armoire. So, after tears, settling down, and sincere "please," I changed it around. School toys, science projects, learning games, puppets, art supplies, Legos are now in their closet and the toys are back where they once were. And none of it looks as good now as it did then. :) At least the kids pick up after themselves!

As I was working on that, I decided to act on an idea I've had for months...to get another book shelf in our Living Room and use some of the shelves for homeschooling supplies. During some of my several back-to-school shopping runs to Target (I just love their $1 Spot at school time for inexpensive workbooks, games, and books), I luckily ran into some darling storage things that were actually in my price range (aka, almost free. j/k but under $5)!

before

after

I just love how it turned out! The left bookshelf houses a lot of our family albums, pictures, and scrapbooks. The middle bookshelf is full of fiction and non-fiction. The right bookshelf is mainly dedicated to piano books on the bottom, curriculum and school journals in the middle, markers and colored pencils up high, and the baskets hold art supplies (paint, playdough, etc) that just need to stay out of the reach of my toddler.

For once, we have bookshelves with a little bit of room for decoration! (Not to mention the 3 boxes of books out in the garage that could maybe use a place for display in the home.) But I hope to be buying more books this year, so some of that decoration space will get filled up with books. And that's fine!

6 Week Schedule

This summer, I kept flip-flopping between homeschool and regular school. I realized I hadn't really researched all the schools in the area (we have open enrollment and charter schools) so I looked into a Waldorf-inspired charter school and a Montessori-inspired charter school. My biggest hang-up still is this...I will be responsible for my kids' education, until they take it on themselves and go to college (hopefully, they'll take full responsibility before that). But I also was just plain scared to start...for real (my oldest will be 6 this month).

And then I went to a leadership seminar. And the speaker talked about how kids/youth are so well trained in mediocrity and following others. And then I remembered one of my number one reasons for homeschooling: leadership education.

For some of you, you will recognize that it sounds like the Thomas Jefferson Leadership Education. And it does. I've read their 3 books on how to make a leadership education happen in your home. And I want that end result for my kids, too. But I have put them on the shelf for the last few months because I know that I need to teach my children my way.

I respect the leadership education model, especially "teaching" by example, independent learning on the child's part, teaching through classics, holding off on rigorous education until the child's brain is ready for it. But truthfully, I'm not passionate about becoming a Constitutionalist, a Freedom Fighter, or anything else political. And so many of the TJed webinars and classes point somewhere in that direction because they firmly believe (as I take it) that this educational model will produce the next generation of Jeffersons, Adams, and Washingtons to save our country. Not that it's a bad thing. It just isn't my thing (or mission, as a TJed-er would say). So, I'm being my own leader and doing it in my own way.

When I came across the 6 week homeschool schedule, I thought, yeah...this really could work for me (TJed recommends a 3 month schedule, with larger breaks every 6 months to purge your home and reorganize)! 6 weeks on, one week off. I can do this! I can follow a schedule for 6 weeks! I can have a week off to breath, plan, then get back to work again!

I asked my kids what they want to learn about, and both said "Outer Space!" So, it looks like our first 6 weeks will focus on Outer Space. And it looks like I'm headed towards unit studies...

But, that's what homeschool is all about...coming up with ways and revamping them constantly to give our children the education they deserve! (I still think my blog title is relevant...hsing is always an experiment!)