Social Education

I believe that kids have a definite social need. Sometimes as homeschoolers, we focus so heavily on the academic part of homeschooling that we leave little time or energy for cultivating our children's social skills. These social skills are just as important. Why is it important? A person who lacks social finesse as an adult will be hobbled in their business associations or career. They will probably have a hard time finding a wife/husband. They will lack the comfort and happiness that having a set of close friends brings. Many times I have met or observed someone who seems to have all the book smarts in the world but absolutely no social grace. It is almost painful to watch. As human beings we must come in contact with other people, and there are certain rules you have to know for getting along with others. As parents it is our responsibility to teach our children how to be successful social beings. The keys to opening the door to a satisfying social life are good manners.
In this day and age I think the word "manners" has become a synonym for stuffy, antiquated knowledge of which fork to use at a twelve course dinner. This is not what manners are. Manners are thinking about others and what would be the nicest for them. The absolute most important area in which to have manners is conversation. Talking with each other is the way we get to know each other. If you cannot speak to another person without offending or annoying or boring, you will not get very far in business, with friends, or even with family. For an intense study of manners in conversation, I would recommend reading a book on manners with a large section on conversation. Letitia Baldridges Guide to a Great Social Life is a good one, though out of print, I believe. For now just a couple of hints that I've learned the hard way:
First: Think before you speak! In some cases think three times before you speak. By doing this you will avoid embarrassing yourself or others by saying something stupid, unkind, insensitive, or too personal. Always think of the effect your words will have on the group or the person!
Second: A good conversationalist will be genuinely interested in the other person and ask questions about his/her interests. There will be give and take. Neither party should be doing all the talking.
Third: If you know that others in the room have different political or religious views, avoid these subjects. There are so many other topics of conversation that are interesting.

Start with these tips and teach your kids to do the same. You will be giving them a valuable asset.
We threw a last minute Halloween party for the kids on Halloween. We had about sixteen kids come! It is so good for kids to learn how to behave in social settings! Plan for socail activities with your kids. Budget your time for it. It's just as important as Math!

A Word About Homeschooling and Housework

One of the major roadblocks for families wanting to homeschool is "What about housework?" It was a major concern for me, too. While in the research faze of homeschooling, I think I read about every book out there on homeschooling. Each one seemed to give the impression that housework would suffer. It seemed that homeschooling and keeping a clean home just didn't mix. Alas.

This was discouraging to me because I'm a person who needs to have a clean house to be happy. That doesn't necessarily mean that my house is clean all the time. But when it isn't, I feel irritable, short on patience, and inadequate. I know that many people out there feel the same way, and so, a few tips on keeping house while homeschooling.

First, establish a system in which the children are helping out! I cannot overstate this. Children need to work. They need to feel that they are contributing to the family and the home. They need to be trained in basic cleaning skills so that when they grow up, marry and start their own families, they will not be a burden on their spouse and children. I've struggled for years to find a way of getting kids to help that made sense. Until recently, that "system" was just asking and nagging them into it. We tried a couple of chart systems with limited success. I finally found a plan that works for us. It's called Accountable Kids. It's based on the law of the harvest; "you reap what you sow". If they don't complete their chores, they don't recieve basic privileges like playing with friends. It puts the responsibility on them, not the parent. So far, it works for us. Find one that works for you. Make a list of every chore that your kids need to do every day. Get them doing these chores for about a week. Then add weekly chores that are bigger for which they can be paid. Consistency is key here. When kids are doing chores on a daily basis, it's like magic! I can't even tell you how wonderful it is to have the dishes done, the beds made, and bedrooms remaining clean with no labor on my part. When kids are putting away all the toys and paraphernalia that they've dragged out every day, it's astonishing to see how much easier it is to do the more thorough cleaning like mopping, etc.

Second, but equally important; get yourself on a system! For the last five years or so, I've been doing all my laundry on one day. That's about eight loads washed, dried, folded and put away in one day. I tried keeping up with this system while homeschooling and you know what happened? We wound up with mountain of laundry as high as myself and no time to do it. What went wrong? Well, with homeschooling, everty day was pegged for school and basic picking up type cleaning and the day off (Saturday) was supposed to be for deep cleaning and laundry. But instead, it turned out to be the only day that I have to run errands (alone) and it is also the day that two of my kids play soccer. Obviously, laundry was not getting done. Finally my husband took the kids all day one Saturday and I conquered the mountain. The week after that I changed the system to doing one or two loads of laundry a day. Problem solved. Lesson to be learned: If something is not getting done, there is a problem with the system. Rework the way you are doing things until you find a way that works for you. I can email or post my housework schedule for anyone who is seeking help.

Good luck on your homeschooling adventure. Remember that the home still needs to be run. Find a schedule and routine that helps you get things done, and don't overwork yourself. Forgive yourself of shortcomings as you would others. It may not be fun to scrub toilets and iron shirts, but there is satisfaction to be had in knowing that the home is a nice place to be, a refuge from the outside influences and stresses of the world. Until later,

Kristy

Curriculum Overhaul!

Okay first, I know it's been a long time since I last wrote. This is why. There began to be a lot of eye rolling from Keller each day while we homeschooled. It seemed that every correction I tried to make was met with a tantrum or a huge sigh. When it was time to move on to a different subject I got more rolled eyes and sighing. After a couple of days of this I started thinking to myself "This is not what I set out to do. I didn't start this so that my kids would come to hate learning! Something is wrong." So I put myself on a mission to make homeschooling fun!
We had been doing Saxon math. I'm sure that Saxon is a great math program for many homeschoolers. It just seemed to be too slow and boring for Keller. As a matter of fact, my four year old daughter Ella was doing the assignments right along with him with no problem. I had to erase everything that I'd heard about Saxon and start fresh. I decided to try Singapore Math. The price was reasonable and so I figured that if it didn't work not too much money would be lost (unlike with Saxon). This simple change worked like a charm for math.
Next, I needed to mend our writing program. I had been writing a scripture verse on our whiteboard and having him copy it. This was taking twenty minutes and a lot of cajoling to get him to finish it. Once again I researched different ways to teach basic writing skills. I heard about getting kids into journaling. I told Kell that we would be making a journal that someday his children and grandchildren would read, and they would be able to read about his life someday. He said "Can we start RIGHT NOW!" Case closed.
Reading had become a major chore as well. I was having him work on the Phonics Pathways book every day for about 20 minutes. The solution was so obvious I'm almost embarrassed to write it. All I had to do was find a book on his level that he wanted to read. This turned out to be the Frog and Toad books. He's flying through them and his reading is amazing. When we were working on straight phonics I was amazed at the seemingly very simple words he was tripping over. I think he was just bored and wanted a story! It took me way too long to figure that one out.
Right about the time I debugged these subjects, I finally implemented the long awaited history and science lessons. These are a huge hit and the kids look forward to these subjects every day! About a week ago Keller said to me, "I like doing this better than going to school. At school we only got to do a few seconds of math." Hooray! He's enjoying it and loving learning. That was the goal. It is so fun to hear my kids talk about the things that we've been learning together. I'm so glad I'm able to hear their insights and connections they make from the things we've studied. We are blessed and so happy to be homeschooling! Until later,
Kristy

Welcome to my blog. My name is Kristy and I homeschool my son, Keller 6 yrs., my daughter, Ella, 4 yrs., and I have a third child, Mary, who is 5 months. My purpose for writing this blog is to encourage and invite other mothers to join me in homeschooling their own children. There is nothing more fun! Learning is delicious to me. I want to pass that on to my kids.
I can recall so many times in my own education in the public school system being bored with learning. It wasn't until after my school career ended that my real education began! I homeschool because I believe that children are best educated at home by "a loving mother teacher." I borrowed that phrase from Diane Hopkins, the founder of lovetolearn.net in her booklet "I Love Homeschooling!"
Though I am a newbie at homeschooling I want to encourage anyone who has the slightest interest in homeschooling. Do it! You will not be sorry. For those who think they are unqualified, think about this: you have been educating your child since birth! Who taught him to walk? Talk? Feed himself? You are your child's best teacher. Whether you realize it or not, he is looking to you first. He is watching what you say and do. He sees you when you're stressed and frazzled and he watches how you act during such moments. He takes these actions for his own, good or bad. His attitudes, beliefs, and feelings are shaped by the things you do and the emotional climate you set in your home. Homeschooling will strengthen everyone in the family, including you! I've been struck lately with how much more patient I am since we began homeschooling. Since I know I am the main example my children see during the day, I think twice when tempted to lose my cool. When I was young, one of my friends mother's had this written on her kitchen wall: "If mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!" How true this is! Mothers, let's stay in control of our own selves!
I feel like I'd better state that I am a member of the LDS church. I believe in God and Jesus Christ. I believe that God has a plan for each and every one of us and that each soul has worth in God's eyes. These beliefs and attitudes will be apparent throughout my blog. It is who I am.
I reach out with love and support to anyone of any faith who desires to begin this great adventure of educating your children at home. I'm excited to begin this blog and hopefully entice someone out there to try it and to also sprinkle a little spice and humor for those who are already on the homeschool path. Until later,

Kristy