In honor of school cancellations nationwide...

Feel free to copy and share!

Reading Incentives

One of the greatest things you'll find out about homeschooling is that there is not much your children have to miss out on. When I decided I wanted to home school my children, there were a few nostalgic activities I wanted them to enjoy that I loved from my childhood. The good news is is that almost all opportunities offered to public schools are also offered to homeschooling families!
Right now we are participating in a reading program to win free tickets to our local baseball and hockey teams. The children have to read a certain amount of books based on their grade level to receive the tickets. Talk about a great way to get your kids reading! We have also participated in Pizza Hut's reading program which offers a free personal pan monthly when children complete their reading assignments.

Comment below if you are interested in links to various reading promotions available to homeschoolers!

Live, Laugh, Love

This past year I have really relaxed my critiques and judgements about my children. Sometimes comments and looks from others can embarrass us and lead to harsh reactions that our children don't deserve. 

We take our children to fancy restaurants that most kids don't frequent and they are usually really well behaved because they know they have to be. Often times an adult will approach us and complement their behavior and while I graciously smile and accept the complement, part of me is laughing because I can only imagine the same person's reaction to the sudden outburst I know they are capable of. I much more appreciate the friendly smile or kind words in the grocery store when my kids are blocking the isle with their tiny grocery cart or screaming because they REALLY didn't want me to put back the sugar cereal they picked out.

When you home school, you're choosing to be with your kids longer than most people, and it helps to remember that they're kids. Take a deep breathe, adjust your vision of the situation, and smile. Here's something to help you laugh at yourself so you can love your kids more...

http://www.theonion.com/articles/more-us-children-being-diagnosed-with-youthful-ten,248/

A Day In the Life

I keep hesitating to give you a post of purely my thoughts, but here it goes. I know most of you must laugh at the simpleness of my posts. I hope that's the case. The purpose of this blog(or fb page for now) is to show you how natural it is to homeschool. It's really not much more than the parenting you do now. People always ask me how I do it, so I thought I would start doing some posts about our days.

Yesterday was a particularly messy day. #4 woke in the night having breathing troubles. I stayed in bed with him until he woke up that morning which was after the other kids were up. When we went downstairs #1 had made breakfast for everyone on his own. He made 2 kinds of eggs and had seasoned them perfectly. A big development! The babe's breathing issues continued throughout the day so he got the majority of my attention. The kid's schooling for the day included reviewing the American revolution through videos, studying archeology and prepping for our dino dig, and lots and lots of reading. That day was a definite sick day, but the kids were still learning. They didn't really even need me. The thing is, if you surround them with good things and give them the freedom to act on there own, learning will just happen. One of the best surprises about homeschooling is that it's not really about schooling. It's about learning. Learning happens in all shapes and sizes.

I have a list of questions that I am frequently asked that I will start answering soon. Feel free to send me a message if there is something you're curious about!

This is honestly one of the best things I've done as a parent. These are our chore assignments...for the year. By the end of the year, they will nearly be experts at their particular chore. For instance, at any moment I can ask #2 to empty the dishwasher(her chore last year) and she can do it perfectly in no time at all. She can also train #3 as she has taken her duty over for 2014. Instead of me having to retrain them every other week because of frequent rotating, they keep at it and really learn it. This is essential for children this young(8,6,4) to really be a help to the family.

Is this the only thing they do to help around the house? Of course not. The kitchen is, however, the most used room in the house and the one that causes the most grief if not kept up with. The other ways they help out are more personal responsibilities. We'll save that for another day...

As much as I hate being burdened by housework, I can't function in a messy house. I'm trying to solve this as painlessly as possible for all of us. This part of the plan is definitely a winner!

More than baking...

Multiplication pop quiz! How many cookies are on the pan? Baking is an amazing way to learn and practice math skills. Measurements, fractions, temperature, addition, time... 
I often only use my 1/4, 1/3 or 1/2 measuring cups to really get their brains working.

Since these cookies are to be given away, cards are being made by the children. This opens the opportunity for teaching handwriting, spelling, grammar & art skills.

Today's cookies are will be delivered to new neighbors, as a thank you and for a sad friend. It's a lesson in brotherly kindness, gratitude and sympathy. The most important lessons we will be learning today.

For the best chocolate chip cookie recipe in the world, click here.

2014

Good morning! We are excited to start the new year after returning from vacation yesterday. Here is a little glimpse into how we do things around here. Let me introduce you to 5 Things. Every day the kids are expected to take care of 5 things before anything else so that we are ready for whatever the days brings us.

They are:
Read scriptures & say prayers
Get dressed
Brush hair
Make bed
Brush teeth

In no particular order. Some days I add take a bath & the chart says "6 things".

When we are diligent with these things our days run so much smoother. This is mostly about teaching them to take care of themselves. It's also about survival with 4 kids