Making a Choice on Curriculum.

      It's been about 6 months since I last blogged. So much has gone on this year, but this last six months has been absolutely jammed.  I did end up doing a very light, abbreviated version of school for the kids. We also spent quite a lot of time running in the sprinkler, swinging on the swing set, visiting the library, and doing a lot of art projects.  There were also a lot more movies than I allow during the school year. Summer is our wet season in the waaaay south, and it rains like clockwork every afternoon, if not all day.  We would get outside while the weather would allow, but we had to entertain ourselves indoors a lot. Raise your hand if you know how hard it is to keep a three and four year old inside 24/7. Bless your heart, I feel your pain. ;) But in all seriousness, while it was a challenge, it was also a lot of fun.

Fall arrived (on the calendar anyhow) and with it, the official start of school. While I have been using Sonlight K loosely for my four year-old, I have been doing all sorts of things with my baby (well, she's three but she is my baby). Like I mentioned in the previous post, I ordered a Letter of the Week curriculum for her. She flew through that so fast she was finished with it by the end of the first quarter. Honestly, I was thrilled and horrified. I love that she is so bright, but I was really frustrated that I'd picked the "wrong" curriculum again, and that she was finished with it already.

But wait; isn't this homeschool thing about making the choice that is best for your individual child? My kids have loved their school time, and they don't seem to think I made the wrong choice. Little Girl loved every minute of her LOTW curriculum, she just mastered it much more quickly than I had anticipated. So, where did this "wrong" label come from? Oh,  yeah. Me.   There is this huge pressure out there to make sure we do it all just right and, if we are honest with ourselves, we will own up to our own role in it.  I have never once had someone question my curriculum choice, or if Big Girl and Little Girl are learning enough. I have never had anyone tell me I am a failure as a mother or a parent because I homeschool. No one has ever said that my kids have to learn faster or more than the homeschool families on the Internet forums. There is a little competition on some of those forums, but I really think it is our own faults. We lay that guilt trip and that pressure on ourselves. Once we realize that, there is this beautiful freedom to be had. 

So once we have that freedom, what do we do with it? You make the choice that is best for your family. You do it thoughtfully, and reasonably, and you walk in the freedom that you are their parent and you know how they will learn better than anyone else in the world.  Other than Jesus, of course. ;)

I want to share some tips for planning your school year and choosing curriculum. Hopefully it will help you as much as it is helping me.

1: First step in planning and choosing: Don't!  

I don't mean don't pick anything at all, of course, but I do mean don't think you have to plan and pick everything for the whole year at once.  Who said you have to buy all your work in August? Yes, it's exciting and those curriculum companies are so good at calling you right up and helping you pick everything you "need", but just don't.  When you buy everything at once you feel like you have everything you need AND that you you have to fit it all in.  I don't have to tell you that your child is unique and special and marches to the beat of their own drum.  Just plan the first quarter, and see how it goes. You will  have to adjust the plan, and that's okay!!

2: Be Honest with Yourself!

 

Take a really good look at how your family functions.  How does your day unfold?  Are you the kind of family that likes to rise and shine early in the morning, or would you sooner blow someone up for talking to you before you've had your coffee? Do your little ones like to get out and run off their energy a bit before you start your lessons, or do you find that if you don't start right away you'll never get their attention back?  What kind of climate do you live in? Is it so hot in the afternoon that you can't play outside after 10 am?  Is it too cold to play outside until 3 pm and you have to keep everyone indoors until then? How long can your kids sit still without getting the fidgets? Do they like workbooks, or would they rather you read to them all day long?  Do crafts make the lesson sink in or does music?  Maybe it's videos or computer games that make the concept stick. Chances are, you've already been organizing your day in the way that is best for your family. If you struggle to function before ten, and your little ones really really love to watch Peg+Cat on PBS, why on earth would you pick to organize your school day to start at 8 and require you to teach math concepts before the caffeine has wakened your brain? Start when it's best for everyone. You're homeschooling: you can do that. :)  If your little one loves writing in workbooks, like mine do, then feel good about using a workbook based curriculum.  If they thrive on unit studies, awesome!  Pick that.  Do what your family loves, and own it.

3: Be realistic!

When considering what you are going to do that year, consider what you can realistically accomplish.  If you are on a very tight budget, understand that you might not be able to do field trips to the zoo and the aquarium, buy a cupboard full of art supplies, and still afford a bookcase full of reading material.  But you could visit a local farm, the fire station, and the local historian instead, buy a few really good art staples, and become best friends with the public Librarian. You'd be surprised at the books you can get your hands on for free.  Also, be realistic in how much you can accomplish in one year. Be flexible with your kids and yourself.  See step one: If you plan a little bit at a time, you will have a much better grasp on this.  I also have to stress that you don't make lofty goals just because you are certain that you can rise to the occasion.  You probably could do it for awhile, but you will wear yourself out. Just be realistic, stretching yourselves just a little at a time. You can accomplish so much if you just keep taking small steps.

I hope that saves you a little bit of trauma and drama. What kind of tips or questions do you have?

Cooking with Littles...

Part of being a homeschool mom (and really just a mom in general) is teaching our children life-skills.  We need to take time during our day to show them (and involve them in) things like doing laundry, changing linens, making beds, cleaning up after ourselves, meal planning and shopping, and of course, cooking.

At this age, my girls are obviously not going to be doing anything alone in the kitchen. That would be disastrous.  They do need to become familiar with what I do to prepare meals and snacks, though, so I try to include them in making something once in awhile.

Today we made 5 ingredient granola bars.  The recipe was very loosely based on the recipe you can find here .

The key to cooking with Littles is all in the prep work.  Print or copy your recipe, and read it thoroughly. The reason you want to have a copy is so that it can be very near at hand and you don't have to worry if when it gets messy.  You need to read it thoroughly because you don't want to have to refer to it too much when the kids are cooking.

Once you have read through your recipe (which is a good protocol any time you are cooking, by the way), you need to assemble your ingredients.  Take the time to measure them out and either put them in ramekins (you know, like they do on cooking shows) or in your various measuring cups. Do not attempt to measure while the kids are in the kitchen with you. Bad idea.

Once you have your stuff gathered, call the kids in. I grabbed a couple of chairs for them to stand on, and stood right next to them.   Make sure each child knows they are going to have a turn at a special job. This helps prevent grabby hands and bickering. I try to start with the youngest child, because the littlest littles just have less patience. Have one pour:

and then the other:

Then let them work together:

After the kiddos stirred this up, we all helped press it into the pan, and I put it into the oven.  While it was baking, I filled-up the dish pan with sudsy water, and let the kids wash their spoons.  Clean up is a very important part of kitchen work, and it would be a disservice to our children if we didn't teach that to them from the start. My littles can't really wash a dish effectively yet, nor can they tolerate water that is hot enough to do the job, but it doesn't hurt to let them pretend to wash their wooden spoons in warm soapy water, just so they get the idea that this is always one of the steps in cooking.

I just finish cleaning up when the fun of the water play has all petered out, and I take the food out of the oven by myself. Voila! A successful cooking experience.

During this cooking experience the kids practiced taking turns, working as a team, measuring, pouring, balance, and listening to instructions.  It's really a good experience for everyone, when it goes well, but there are couple of things you should keep in mind:


1. Do not attempt cooking in the kitchen with littles on days that you are short on patience. You need barrels full of patience to manage more than 1 little in the kitchen. They get excited, and they can sometimes get ahead of you, or they choose not to listen to you and you have to stop everything to discipline. Make sure you are in a good head-space so everyone can enjoy it.

2. Do not expect to keep things neat. Littles are messy by nature, but especially so in the kitchen. They will spill the oatmeal, they will try stick their fingers in the peanut butter, they will splash the soapy water onto the floor. It's okay! They are learning and having fun, and there is no mess you can't clean up.  The patience thing comes into play again here. Plan to be messy. You can all wear smocks or aprons and you can always keep your kitchen towel nearby . I like to keep a little hand broom and pan on hand, so a little one can help sweep up any floor spills.


3. Make it special. Praise their effort and make sure you taste what they've made in front of them. It's one of our biggest jobs to build these littles up and encourage their hearts. I like to try to take pictures while we cook. It can be difficult, and as you can see, the picture quality sometimes often stinks, but they grow up fast and you will cherish these memories one day. You want them to, too. :)