Homeschooling is not a 9-5 job. It's not an 8:30-3:30 job. Whatever timing public and private schools have... that isn't homeschooling.
Homeschooling is learning at home... 24 hours a day and 365 days a year.
Kids are learning all the time. That's why I'm intentional about putting educational items and growth in front of them. (That includes the screens they interact with!)
My favorite times of learning are the times where the kids don't realize what is happening. Take, for example, my recent purchase at our local homeschool store. I bought a game called Don't Bust 100 (affiliate link). I knew it would have educational purposes, but what I didn't realize until we played it... it's actually fun!
I have purchased educational games that are clearly educational and it's not as fun so they don't get played all the time. This particular game helps kiddos practice math facts, but it has enough other cards in the mix so it is a fun game that has luck and strategy mixed in with learning math.
That's what I'm talking about.
It's also like Bible reading at the end of the night. My youngest is working on reading and she doesn't always love our reading program during the day, so I take full advantage of any opportunity where she wants to read to me. Tonight, she read Psalm 27... and I just let her do it. It was tempting to speed up the process. For example, she could read a verse and then I read the rest, but any time I listen to kids read and they are going slow, I consider it a chance to work on my patience.
Yes - even adults are learning and practicing life skills all the time.
Hey! If you want your kids to be entertained but don't want them in front of a screen, catch these early Prime Day deals before they go away! We got these books earlier this year for my 12YO and 8YO and it did the trick when their older brother had an archery tournament. Enjoy!
Highlights Brain Teaser book - good for younger and older kids
The Codebreakers Club - solve the mystery of the missing puzzle professor! - good for preteens
Great hidden pictures book from Highlights!
It's finally happened. Erik and I have been outnumbered by the number of children we have in baseball. That means carpooling is a thing and I am SO grateful for all the friends who have jumped on board the wagon of helping tote around the Wegener kids.
It's crazy how much a good friend can lift your spirit. Every time I drop a kid off so they can be brought to practice, I drive away thankful.
Not everyone has friends like I do... and that stinks. Friendship is something that is vital to humanity. It is the core of what we need as humans. We need others in whom we can trust and look to for laughter, input, and adventure. We learn from each other. I wish everyone could have beautiful friendships like the ones I'm so grateful to have!
Which brings me back to baseball and three things I've learned.
1. I've learned that it is incredibly beautiful to let other people shine. Brielle is a rising baseball 8U star, as proven by her multiple triples and doubles and tonight newest additions: her first homer and two catches at first base where it sounds like she was practically in the splits, scooping up the balls that were heading her way. I appreciate how her older brothers are learning to embrace what she is doing well. I appreciate how fun it is to watch her excel.
2. Teach your kids to prioritize helping others AND how to be flexible. Jase has had to do that since he's been asked to help fill in for older baseball teams who needed help. He wears a black jersey normally... but he became his brother's twin once and a friend's brother another time... and both times, he set aside nerves and stepped up to the plate and did amazing things to help out teams who needed help. (He fit in much easier with 13U as a 12YO. 15U was hard!)
3. I love watching the kiddos find their thing and learn to grow and excel at it. Both boys are catchers, and have grown in their abilities this season. Brayden has gotten more time at catcher and really stepped up to be a "wall" at the plate. Jase has had less time in the catcher position and has started to grow in his abilities in other places on the field (in addition to being a catcher). Brielle still plays all the positions, but wouldn't that be fun if she loves catching like her brothers (and my dad!).
That's all for now. Unless you want to watch a little of Brielle playing ball with an amazing slide... https://www.youtube.com/shorts/zM2wr4zpPTI
As a homeschool mom, I'm always on the lookout for how kiddos can learn in a fun way, for I'm convinced that interesting learning will stick with kids far longer than boring learning.
That's one reason why I like Life of Fred math curriculum. This is not the traditional math curriculum. Look inside and you'll see far more text than math problems. You'll also see stick drawings, nice paintings, different font, and all sorts of other things that make the text on the page interesting to read. Plus, it covers topics of all sorts - not just math. It's a life lesson with integrated math problems.
I've tried to explain to others what our math curriculum looks like and it's just not easy without visuals... so I finally made a video and posted it on our family YouTube channel. Here it is.
Comment below or on the video if you have questions and I'll do my best to answer!
Hate is a strong word, so I hate to use it, but there's one thing I do like to use it for... trips to the dentist.
I don't know if you're like me or not, but I've never liked the dentist. I'm shocked that anyone actually likes working on teeth. Plus, I somehow feel that the dentist report on your teeth is like a report card and when you get cavities, you flunk.
I've even been honest with my kids - sorry, I hate going to the dentist, so I can't help you much if you dislike the dentist too.
So essentially, I've let the dentist become a point of mental exhaustion in my life... and I've even extended it to my kids. Well, that's not entirely true. My youngest proudly enjoys the dentist.
Yesterday, however, I saw the light. While my teeth were being cleaned, I took a breath and enjoyed the moment of doing nothing else and I also asked, how can I be grateful for this moment?
I took a moment to be grateful that someone else had the desire to help me avoid and deal with tooth pain.
For one moment, everything changed. Well, I can't say I love the dentist now, but it reminded me how powerful gratitude is. It really can revolutionize your perspective.
Last fall, it happened too. Well, not the new perspective on dentist, but a mental switch that changed my perspective. Fall is usually my least favorite time of the year, for a whole list of reasons that includes the anniversary of my brother's passing and the heavenly birthday of my firstborn son who was born early and passed within an hour.
I made a mental change going into the fall, thanks to the Lord's leading, and I said to myself, "This will be my best fall."
Somehow, that change created it. I enjoyed the change far more than usual... all because I dared to change my thinking.
What perspective shift might you need today?
It’s the pile of freshly laundered clothes three feet away from an empty dresser drawer, the dirty dishes next to the sink, the candy wrapper sitting on the counter above the waste basket, the stack of junk mail that grows every day.
Can you guess what it is?
Unfinished business. Simple tasks
started out of necessity or good intention left undone due to some excuse. I don’t have time. I’ll do it later. It’s
not that big of deal. Other things
are more important. I don’t want to
do it. Maybe my spouse will do it. I’ll tell the kids to do it.
I recently found an old story I had written when my oldest was just a few years old. We were playing outside by our driveway. In an effort to multitask, I decided to bring
the garbage can up from the end of the driveway to outside our closed garage
door. For whatever reason, I stood there debating whether or not I was going to
open the garage door and bring the garbage inside. I can do it later. I just wanted to do part of the job. Erik can finish
it next time he’s out here. Little voices inside my head were debating the
pros and cons of walking over to the keypad, punching in the code, putting the
garbage can away, and shutting the door again.
Then I clearly heard these words:
Finish what you started.
The authority in that statement reminded
me how silly my excuses were and pushed me to finish the task I had started. It
also challenged me to bring this idea of finishing into my life on a more
regular basis. It’s the responsible, stress-relieving, God-honoring thing to
do.
The Power of 60 Seconds
In this journey to become a
finisher, I’ve realized that finishing often doesn’t take that long. It’s an
extra three seconds to close the cupboard or put the trash in the garbage can instead of on the counter.
The pile of dishes can be washed, dried, and put away in under 30 minutes. That
thank you note or email you’ve been meaning to send will take two minutes and
the phone call to your bank another 3-5 minutes. If I can get it done when I’m
thinking about it, why not save myself the pressure of having another thing on
my “to do” list?
I admit: My selfish nature often
has an answer for that question. So I’ve put together two keys to help me keep
up with the tasks life throws my way.
The first one is to learn what
you can actually accomplish in 60 seconds. If you are warming something up in
the microwave, instead of standing there for one minute, see how many
dishes you can put into the cupboards before the beep signals your food is
ready. How about your laundry—can you fold a full load of clean clothes during
one commercial break or do you have to do it during two?
A lot can happen in 60 seconds
when you put your mind to it!
Follow the Prompts
The second thing I’ve learned on
my way to being a finisher is to follow the promptings inside of me. I’m
talking about those prompts I believe the Holy Spirit brings my way to do this
or do that. Now would be a good time to
make that phone call… pay that bill… run that errand…. Time and again, the
Holy Spirit has proven to be my biggest helper in de-stressing my life in this
way. He reminds me of tasks that need to be accomplished or ways I can finish
what I start as I go about my day.
I don’t always recognize that
these thoughts are the Spirit. They are easy to dismiss among the myriad of
other thoughts running through my head. When I do find a thought I know is from
the Lord (usually based on hindsight or context of the situation), I remember
that voice, feeling, and prompting, and try to match it appropriately to future
thoughts. More than once I’ve said to myself, “Well, if that thought was from
the Lord and this is a similar voice, I need to listen to it and respond.”
I Challenge Me—and You
I guarantee that I am nowhere
near close to being great at finishing. Daily tasks are so easy to push aside,
but the Holy Spirit’s ideas and the 60-second rule help me save time and
simplify. I challenge you to consider incorporating these ideas into your life.
God will show you how to make these ideas work for you so you too can finish
what you start.
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